Teratos High: Demon Hunters
by ZombieBlinky
Summary: REDONE Yami never believed in friendship, family, or love. Demons never trust anyone they themselves don't call friend or family. What will happen when a cynical human discovers a world he never dreamed possible? One where loyalty rules. YxY
1. Prologue

_**Good evening, afternoon, night to everyone whom is reading this! Now. . . before you start waving pitch forks and screaming about massive injustices, I feel the need to defend my case! **_

**_Once upon a time, there was a girl named ZombieBlinky. She participated in a one-month adventure called "NaNoWriMo" and created a story called "Teratos High" as a result of her quest. Unfortunately, this author didn't have the foresight to notice the massive plot holes, lack of romance in a -romance- fic, and the thin ideas! She chose to ignore these problems in favor of finishing the story, but after gaining a co-author her guilt became too much to swallow. _**

**_Together, she and her co-author (Kytrin) ventured back in time to re-write Teratos from the beginning. To create substantial characters. To replace the dying plot. To sew up the holes in the logic. And to bring in all the smutty romance readers could ever need!_**

**_This is a different story than the original. Although much will be the same, the content will change and ultimately become better. I understand the risk of losing readers due to this choice, but it's impossible for me to continue to write Teratos knowing the problems the original copy has. I will leave it up for a time, but it will eventually be deleted once this version catches up to it._**

**_I once again apologise to my readers for the abruptness of this, but it really had to be done._**

**_So now I present to you, in it's new, shiny edition. . . Teratos High: Demon Hunters._**

_**DISCLAIMER: I've never, nor will I ever, own YuGiOh.**_

_**--:--**_

_Two figures crouched from under thick tree boughs. They had been hidden in the foliage for what seemed like hours, trying to hide from their pursuers. Red eyes watched the torches bob further and further away. Were they finally safe?_

_Only when the last torches disappeared from view, and the angry shouts had faded into faint whispers, did one of the figures, a young woman by the look of her, speak._

_"Are they gone?" She whispered softly fear, pain, worry, and grief all mingling in her voice. She shifted slightly, giving the small white bundle in her arms a brief, affectionate look, before hissing quietly as a spasm of pain rippled through her from the bloody gashes that adorned her side. Gashes that would have undoubtedly killed her had she been less agile. Gashes that would still kill her if she did not receive medical attention soon._

_"Quiet." Her companion, a young man, presumably her husband, growled cromson eyes narrowed as he scanned the area. Abruptly he froze, completely, his sensitive nose having caught a scent so foul it burned the inside of his nostrils and sent his blood pounding through his chest. No, surely they hadn't sent that beast in!_

_Garnet eyes shut in despiar. He could sense anger and hatred congealing in the air around them. A monster was coming for them. His wife gasped, her identical crimson eyes widening in terror as horrified realization dawned on her._

_Her fear was attractive, hanging heavy in the air and mixing with the combined scent of both their wounds. It brought the monster whose scent permeated their hidden place. It knew they were there. A loud growl shook the trees and the leaves quivered on their boughs._

_"Go." The man hissed, pulling himself free from the branches. His wife began to protest; climbing down after the man. He shook his head to silence her. The man kissed her gently one last time, and cast a special protection over the bundle in her arms. They knew this was the last they would see of each other in this life. "Go." He said firmly._

_Tears sprung to his wife's eyes, and she gave him one last fleeting kiss before fleeing into the dark night. A sob escaped her lips as she ran from the man she loved. The man, now alone in the clearing gave a final cry as a monster, fouler then the blackest nightmare a mortal could dream, appeared - a snarling mass of fangs and acidic saliva._

_The monster, catching his scent lurched towards him. He was no match for it in the state he was in, and both he and the creature before him knew it. The beast turned away, its harsh voice grating in a sick parody of laughter more resembling an orchestra of hell, playing a heathen symphony with the screams of a banshee dripped from every octave, than anything a normal voice could produce. Black eyes eyed the man contemptuously and focused on its real target: the woman and child._

_"Try if you want!" The man now challenged drawing the monster's attention to himself, buying his wife and son a few more minutes to escape. He taunted the creature, enraging it. "You will never lay a claw on my son!"_

_"He will be darker then the soulless eyes of a demon!" The man roared defiantly, "Hidden in the shadows, so none will find him; and should they try, they forfeit their life!"_

_It became infuriated, rearing back on its powerful hind legs. It raised a massive, metallic, blood-stained paw and brought it in a lethal arc, severing the man into two bloody pieces before he could even breathe._

_There he died slowly, detached from his legs and in indescribable agony. The monster looked on haughtily, smug in its victory. Its prey had died, ending his useless squabbles. It turned away, the thirst for blood temporarily sedated. It did not worry about pursuing the woman. Her life would not last long, and the child would be unable to fend for itself. The monster considered its job done._

_As the husband's eyes lost life - glassed over with the beginning marks of death, his thoughts echoed in the clearing, 'His name will be Yami, and may he swallow the demons in his shadows...'_

_In the distance, a baby cried._

--::--

Seventeen year old Yami sprung from his bed, instantly becoming entangled in his bed sheets. A thin layer of sweat beaded down his neck and coated his lithe body. The dream - or nightmare, startled him so badly from his slumber, he fell from the bed with a loud and painful thump.

Disorientated, Yami straightened himself up. It wasn't everyday he had a dream. In fact, this was the first night in years that he could even remember having one. His crimson eyes closed to better remember the images. Already, the dream had begun to fade from his mind's eye. He couldn't even remember the faces of the two runaways. He cursed his inability to remember, momentarily surprising himself for caring so much. It was just a stupid dream, right?

Granted, nightmares didn't usually come in color, or look so realistic. His stomach twisted, remembering the gruesome demon in fine detail. Fear knotted through his nerves, hands twitching around his covers as though searching for a weapon to protect their owner with.

'It was just a dream.' He told himself firmly, though he had trouble believing the thought.

Strangely, he didn't want the man to have died. He found himself wondering what exactly had happened to the mother and her child named, 'Yami.' The teenager pushed messy blond bangs out of his face, running a tan hand through the locks of black and red spiky hair. He dismissed the name as a coincidence; it most likely had something to do with his subconscious. Perhaps it was something to explain where he came from, who he was, and why he had no parents.

Or maybe he was just losing it.

He frowned and glanced at his clock. '5:20.' He sighed, knowing it was no use trying to go back to sleep. He got out of the bed, gracefully stretching his long legs onto the worn carpet and blinking away the last remnants of sleep from his red eyes enjoying the subtle crack as he retested his tired joints. Deeming himself well and awake, Yami figured he should probably get ready for the long day ahead.

--::--

Many children were screaming and running around the orphanage he called home. Yami stood stiffly by the doorway with some of the older orphans, occasionally fiddling with the black tie around his neck in irritation.

He despised adoption. To Yami, it was the most grandiose waste of time anyone could ever possibly come up with. He would have liked to punch the man who came up with the idea.

With his grey button up shirt and black slacks, metal studded black wrist bands and chain wallet dangling from his pocket - Yami looked ready to kick ass and take names. He glared at the shy couples that came in, pointing and squealing at some of the younger kids - as if they were some sort of fascinating creature - yet once they caught sight of Yami; decked out in various chains, studs, spikes, and other assorted paraphernalia (most often mistaken as weapons), they tended to scurry away and send him baleful glares.

Yami scowled and crossed his arms in impatience. He just wanted this day to end so he could go on with his merry life, crappy as it was.

"Ow!" He yelped, turning to glare behind him as a sharp pain to the back of his head drew the grungy teenager's attention.

The land lady, Ms. Valentine stood behind him, tapping a fan against her slender arm impatiently. "Play nice." She snorted, large eyes glinting in annoyance. Her dark blond hair cascaded down to the small of her back, the tips curling slightly. She was very... buxom, and to say it lightly, attractive. Most of the male orphans over the age of twelve were in love with her. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your view, Yami had remained mostly immune to her assets. Of course, he was immune to most people's assets so that wasn't saying much.

Yami rolled his eyes, a smirk playing on his face, "Make me." He challenged. Ms. Valentine matched his smirk.

"No dinner for you then, Mr. Yami." She said haughtily.

Yami glared, "Cheater."

Her smirk just widened.

Knowing she would stay true to her threat, and not wanting to starve later, Yami jerked his head in a semblance of a nod. Forcing a smile, which looked more like a grimace, Yami turned to the couple that was still eyeing him warily.

"Good afternoon." He attempted to growl politely.

Even more frightened then before, the couple sped to the opposite side of the room, thoroughly scared and about to wet their pants. Yami shrugged, used to that kind of behavior by now. Yami was contemplating his chances of escaping back to his room undetected so he could skip out on the rest of Adoption day; when it happened.

A couple crossed the threshold of the orphanage, clasping hands and eager. Yami froze, his crimson eyes zeroing in on the new couple instinctively. They seemed to radiate cold wind, most unnatural in a place full of warm bodies. Yami had a feeling they were only acting the part of excited parents. A chill, full of experience and remembered pain, crept down his spine.

The man was tall, and interestingly enough bald, with dark green eyes that searched the room pointedly. He was looking for something - or someone specific. Yami fought the insane urge to hide from that searching gaze. The woman had blue eyes and long black hair. She bent down to smile and play with some children before ushering them away. She looked up and met Yami's eyes precisely, as though knowing where he would be before seeing him. As soon as her eyes met his, the man turned his head towards Yami as well. A cold ball of certainty formed in the orphan's belly. They were looking for him. The thought terrified him. He glared at them both defiantly however, he was not going to let them see his fear no matter what his insides felt like.

They both stared him down until the teenager was forced to look away.

'Who were those people?' He thought frustrated as they melted into the crowd quite as if they hadn't spent the last five minutes looking for him or staring him down. The teenager shook his head slightly. The cold dread was gone, and he was beginning to wonder if it had ever been there. Maybe he'd imagined the whole episode and he'd just encountered a couple not so easily intimidated by his glares. The memory of the couple swam before him and he shivered at it. Without another word he turned on his heel and stalked out of the crowded room pulling off his tie as he went. He just couldn't bear it in there another moment.

He was grateful when Ms. Valentine didn't say anything about his sudden departure, or try to call him back.

--::--

Yami growled in irritation as a splash of soapy water sprayed him full in the face.

"Ha! Yami looks funny!" The excited voice responsible for the now wet, orphan cheered. Yami glared half-heatedly at the splashing figure in front of him. His dark sleeves were pushed up to his forearms, tan arms sopping wet with a limp wash cloth dangling in his hand. Yami currently had the glamorous job of supervising young Leo take a bath. Ms. Valentine's subtle revenge for earlier he was sure. The boy was five years old, with light eyes and brown hair, sweet in every form of the word, and as mischievous as an imp.

Yami pushed aside wet bangs. "How observant." He said dryly. "Close your eyes." He muttered.

Without so much as pausing Yami dumped a bucket of cold water of Leo's head. The child gave a cry before whining indignantly, "Yaaaaaaaaaami!!" The teenager in question smiled at the young boy before wringing out the rag.

"Yes Leo?"

"That was mean!"

"So?"

Leo pouted and crossed his arms over his chest, "Yami is a big meanie-poo! Leo's not talking to him anymore!" Then he promptly turned around and attempted to ignore Yami, shooting him childish glares over his shoulder. Yami fought the urge to laugh at the sight. Knowing Leo he'd wind up with a mouth full of soapy bath water if he did.

Crimson eyes glanced down at his wet wrist watch and sighed, the caretaker would be upset if they spent any more time then necessary in the bath. Yami gazed at the pouting boy and decided to wrap things up quickly.

"Leo," He began gravely, "I am very sorry for being a big meanie-poo." He looked at Leo with eyes full of theatrical sorrow, "Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

The five year old looked at Yami skeptically before pretending to think about it.

"I don't know..." He tapped his finger dramatically against his chin, "You'll have to play a game with me."

Yami smiled and ruffled the boy's wet hair, "Oh the agony." He sighed, "I suppose I can live with that punishment." He chuckled deeply at the sour expression on Leo's face, "Alright, bath time's over. Time for you to dry off." Once Leo had been adequately cleaned and dressed, Yami gave the young boy a piggy back ride to his room.

"Yami?"Leo asked.

Yami set the boy on the bed, grinned and flipped on a night light.

"Yeah?"

Leo looked down, nervous.

"What is it?"

"I know you've told me before..." The boy trailed off and, Yami had a feeling he knew what was about to befall him, "Where do babies come from?"

Yep. There was the bomb shell.

Yami slapped a hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was still much too early to inform Leo of the birds and the bees, so he went with the overused stereotype every parent resorted to, "The stork."

"What's a 'stork'?"

"A bird. It drops babies off on people's doorsteps during the night, and when they wake up in the morning, they're parents." Lying to a five-year old, what had the world come to?

"So the stork is sort of like Santa Claus?"

"Pretty much." Yami lied with a mental wince.

Leo looked at Yami through wide pinkish eyes. Normally Leo wasn't into beating around the bush. He was only five and already he had developed a bad case of 'Diarrhea of the Mouth', so Yami knew he didn't have long to wait before Leo's real question came out into the open.

"But..." He looked at the teenager hesitantly, "Why are we here?"

Another bombshell. Great.

Yami frowned. He'd been hoping he wouldn't have to answer this question until the child was older, but Leo had always been observant. And inquisitive... For a moment the older boy was torn between pride in Leo's intelligence, and hitting his head on the wall for a while. Currently, the wall option was looking rather attractive...

In the five years Yami had known him, Leo had become like a little brother. On the night Leo had been dropped off at the orphanage Yami was at the tender age of twelve, and had immediately taken on the job of raising Leo. And, despite Yami's occasional absence - the times where he had been adopted by various psychotic families, then dumped like a used condom - he had done a fine job.

He could never explain why he had such an interest in Leo, but the truth of the matter lay within Yami himself. He hadn't wanted Leo to grow up friendless and without a father figure like he had.

"What do you mean?" Yami dodged momentarily praying he wasn't going to have to try and explain the fundamentals of religion and philosophy to the boy. The wall would definitely be in his future if that was the case.

Leo fidgeted with the buttons of his onesie pajamas, "How did we end up with Miss. Teana?" He inquired, "She's not my mommy, is she?" He asked fearfully.

Miss Teana was the owner of the orphanage. Cruel, evil, and completely insane.

"No she isn't." Yami replied instantly relieved beyond measure.

Leo looked relieved.

He ran his fingers through his hair, "The stork got lost when he was delivering us." Yami tried, "He put us here because he didn't know where to go."

Leo seemed to accept this as a plausible reason. He smiled hopefully, "Will our parents ever come for us?"

Yami frowned. He had no intention of dashing the young child's innocence, but Leo was going to have to face the harsh truth someday: Every person in the orphanage had been dropped off for a reason. But even so it would not be because of him tonight.

"Maybe." He lied again, "But no more questions Leo." Yami eyed the boy who was about to interrogate him some more, "It's past your bed time, and you're tired."

The child fought back a yawn, and lost, "No I'm not." He protested through it. He quickly wiped a tear away.

"Yes you are." Yami stated, smiling.

Leo shook his head in disappointment, "But you said you'd play a game with me."

"I did, didn't I?"

Leo nodded hopefully.

"But not now." He added a paternal smirk crossing his lips, "Tomorrow morning, okay?"

Leo pouted and sunk in his covers.

Before Yami could tuck the five year old in, the orphanage intercom blared.

"Yami, please report to Ms. Teana's office immediately." The voice of Ms. Valentine crackled. Yami and Leo stared at the speaker in disbelief. They were both thinking similar things: What would she need to see Yami for?

"I better go." The teenager said reluctantly.

He didn't want to get Leo in trouble if he was late. Threatening the child was the only way the orphanage could keep Yami under control.

Leo nodded solemnly, "Remember our game Yami-bro!" He said, "I want to learn how to play chess!"

"Chess." Yami repeated flatly. Leo was probably the only five year old in existence that wanted to learn how to play a game most sane people seemed to avoid. He'd obviously been rubbing off on the boy. He rolled his eyes a little, "Right, chess."

Yami finished tucking Leo into bed, got him a glass of water, and wished him good night. He then trudged his way reluctantly to Teana's office, the good mood Leo had put him in already dwindling.

Yami knocked on Teana's gold plated door. He briefly wondered how much it had cost before the owner's overly cheerful voice met his ears, "Come in!"

He walked into the lavish room cautiously, half expecting to be shot upon entrance. Teana was happy? Yami wondered just how many children in the world had to die to accomplish that feat.

"Did your highness ring?" He asked not bothering to hide his contempt for the woman. Short and to the point, that was his style. Yami was mentally going down a list of all the bad things he had done and, more importantly, all the things he could get in trouble for. It wasn't looking very promising. Though he was pretty sure there was no proof he'd been involved with the lawnmower incident...

"Yes," Teana said sweetly, "Come in my dear boy." Yami frowned.

The landlady would never call him 'dear'. 'Demon' maybe, 'Monster' sure, but never 'Dear'. The only time where she would call him 'Dear' would be when one of the following three options was applied: punishment, Capital punishment, or there were potential 'parents' present.

Yami paled.

Judging from the lack of weaponry that was usually present on Teana's desk, like a sick doctor's operation table, Yami could assume option three was in play.

In Yami's opinion, being adopted was by far the worst punishment yet.

He had been adopted once every year of his life: Seventeen times. He had hoped that he wouldn't be adopted again until he turned eighteen. That way, he'd be able to legally live on his own. And good riddance to the whole sorry system.

Who said he needed a family? He certainly didn't want one.

But it seemed as though the gods were not smiling down on him today. As the young couple Yami saw before emerged from behind Teana's desk, radiating the same sensation of cold, the owner smiled cruelly.

"Meet your new family Yami." Ms. Teana gloated, sure she had finally beaten the orphan.


	2. Don't Cry

**_Kytrin is posting the new Teratos on AFF as well! It's under her screenname "Kytrin." I forgot to mention that last time, sorry guys. The first couple of chapters will look. . . eh. . . some what the same, but I assure you that by chapter five things get REALLY different. And lucky for you my ducks, I'm posting up to five today! It's the least I can do after throwing you guys this major loop. _**

**_Anyway enjoy the new-amped up version of chapter two. Kytrin worked insanely hard to bring you guys a much better version than the one I gave you. Shall we applaude? Yes, I think we shall ((claps))_**

--:--

"Are you kidding me?" Yami snarled. His heart was pounding as his earlier fear returned tenfold, but he'd be damned if he was going to let them see it.

Ms. Teana kept her hands folded neatly on her desk, her index finger pointed upwards, "No, I'm afraid not." She said in clipped tones, her British accent barely covered her contempt, "For some reason, this nice family specifically requested you..."

"Well tell them no!" He snapped, glaring at the family, "Throw me out on my ass for all I care, I'm not going with them!"

The man stepped forward, Yami had trouble averting his eyes from his bald head, "Now Yami, we don't want any trouble. Just a son."

"Well fat chance getting one from me," Yami sneered. He absently brushed his blond bangs out of his face, red eyes narrowed daringly. "I never needed a family and I never wanted one either."

The landlady shifted uneasily in her leather seat.

"I'm terribly sorry for his rudeness," Ms. Teana's voice came from her desk, glaring coldly. Yami smirked. "I can understand if you don't want to adopt this... boy. He has quite the history of breaking up families."

Ms. Teana with her apologetic voice, was less motherly sounding and more like a psychotic Nazi trying to play nice with a playground full of Jewish children.

"Please," Yami snapped, "Don't act like you're Azirphale; that's damn right perverse."

Teana glared at Yami, but said nothing.

The orphan turned to the couple, his red eyes made prominent against caramel skin, "Thank you for your generous offer, but since I'm almost of legal age I think I'm going to have to deny your request." He moved to the door, eager to escape back to his room where he could forget his two prospective guardians and their chilling aura.

"Are you sure you want to do that Yami?"

The orphan froze, cerise eyes sliding towards the woman who had spoken. She had long straight black hair that reached just below her shoulders. Her cool, blue eyes meet Yami's fiery gaze with a calm smugness.

"What do you mean?" Yami gritted through clenched teeth.

"My name is Marilyn Sobek, and this is my husband Cobalt. We live in Brooklyn, New York; you might have heard of us?" The woman introduced herself. Yami felt his heart freeze in his chest; he did know them.

But who didn't?

The Sobek's were owners of the large company Martyr Inc. They were well connected, and were widely known to stick greedy fingers into every type of business worldwide. They were even believed to have under the table jobs with the mafia and other contraband dealings, but the police were unable to pin anything on the huge corporation. No one dared to breathe a word against Martyr Inc. Or the two powerful CEO's.

They had the media wrapped around their finger, and consistently fed the public the image of goodwill by donating to charity, making missionary trips to Africa, and funding orphanages...

...And by some freaky coincidence, the orphanage Teana was in charge of was one of the Sobek's. Scary, huh?

The public believed Martyr Incorporated as the reincarnation of Mother Teresa. They stole from the rich and gave to the poor, the modern day Robin Hood.

Yami wasn't fooled. He knew the Sobek's had something going for them, a deep dark secret that they didn't want anyone to know. Yami didn't know what their secret was, but that didn't stop him from disliking them just for the hell of it.

He was suspicious, and rightly so. The couple just mentioned they lived in New York. So what in the hell were they were doing in Georgia in the first place; nevermind adopting a child?

Yami couldn't understand their reasons in the slightest bit. The same thought seemed to have struck Teana because she glanced inquisitively at the couple.

"Will Yami be returning to New York with you Mrs. Sobek?" Teana directed the question at the woman but she was answered by the man.

"No" He said easily, "We will be staying here in the suburbs, it will be a nice change from urban life." He smiled at the caretaker winningly, and Teana voiced no more questions. Yami was not quite as easily manipulated.

"Why didn't you adopt a brat in New York?" Yami snapped, "Orphans breed like rats in the streets; why don't you just pick one up over there? It's not like anyone would care."

"Well, it seems like we found a brat in Georgia just fine," Cobalt said simply.

Yami glared angrily at the man only belatedly realizing he'd set himself up for such a beautiful retort.

"I doubt you're down here just to pick up a kid," He snorted, "I bet it's just a cover up for whatever you're really down here to do. I don't want to be a part of your shady deals, get another orphan."

A dark shadow passed over both Sobek's faces simultaneously. They nodded to each other both agreeing to a silent idea.

"You leave us no choice Yami," the woman said regretfully.

Yami braced himself for the blow he already knew was coming, he didn't know what they would do to him, but he was resolute on his decision.

Cobalt looked at Marilyn and with an encouraging nod from his wife; he turned, not to Yami, but to Teana.

"We're going to close the orphanage," He said solemnly.

Shock hit Yami like a ton of bricks. Close the Orphanage? Over an issue as stupid as this? His thoughts were barely cohesive, and with a pang, he thought of the life he had just condemned Leo and the other children to.

"That's dirty!"

To Yami's surprise, the outburst hadn't come from himself, but Teana. She glared hatefully at the Sobek's calm demeanors and slapped her white palms against her high polished cherry wood desk.

"Where will the children go?" She demanded, "Orphanages are already overcrowded, they'll be turned away!"

Yami was shocked; he never realized Teana cared this much about the children. The two of them butted heads on several occasions, and each shared a mutual hatred for the other, but Yami was honest enough to admit he had never bothered to give her much of a chance either. Regardless of her unspoken hatred of Yami, she had taken him in and given him a home when no one else had wanted him –not even his parents. The realization that she actually loved them, in her own messed up way, was as much a shock to Yami's system as the Sobeks had been, and the combination left him reeling.

It was even more shocking to watch her as she went toe-to-toe with the two powerful CEO's. Yami shook his head slightly in a futile attempt to clear it. He knew Teana didn't like a confrontation. Hated it with a passion actually (unless it involved Yami and their peculiar, ongoing, head games), which was part of the reason why she had hired Miss. Valentine to break scuffles up for her, but now she was unhesitatingly confronting the two people who could ruin her life. Literally.

Yami's respect for Ms. Teana increased ever so slightly...

As Yami's senses recovered thoughts of Leo, a five year-old who had no one, and the fate that would await him should the Sobek's follow through with their threat returned full force. When Yami left, Ms. Teana was the only one the little boy could rely on, despite his distrust of her. It was a simple truth, and he felt his disgust and hatred for the couple that would condemn innocent children so calmly rise. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Ms. Teana glaring at them both with every ounce of venom she could muster.

Once again, reluctantly, his respect for the land lady increased a notch.

He was unwilling to believe what he was about to do and shook his head.

"Fine, I'll be your son..." He consented, angrily, "But only if you keep funding the orphanage..."

Teana obviously was surprised but Marilyn and Cobalt looked expectant.

"Of course." Cobalt stated, as though it were obvious.

"The paperwork if you please?" Marilyn turned towards the flustered Ms. Teana and smiled, as though she hadn't just threatened to put the landlady out of a job.

Surprised, and barely able to follow along, Ms. Teana fumbled with her leather briefcase and pulled out the papers that would sign over her patronage to the Sobeks. Marilyn quickly filled out the sheets, barely pausing to glance over the fine print. When she was finished, she picked through her purse and pulled out a wad of bills.

She was obviously oblivious to her wealth and Yami was once again reminded of the terrifying possibility that these people could easily shut the orphanage down at any time. They probably wouldn't even miss a wink of sleep over it... Bastards.

Yami shuddered, wondering why these people wanted to adopt him so badly, and briefly prayed to a god he didn't really believe in that he would survive this.

Cobalt Sobek smiled widely at Yami, "It's good to have you join the family, son..."

Yami looked down, already cursing the Sobeks and their threat to close the home down. Leo and all the others would be homeless... it was a deadly combination for boys that young. What was Yami supposed to do? Not even he was that heartless.

He gave the man a poisonous look, "I'm so sure." He replied acidly.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Teana looked at the Sobeks victoriously, "You see?" She said breathlessly, "There was no need to threaten. I knew he'd agree eventually!"

A hot flash of resentment at the words washed through Yami, but he'd also heard the shaky relief as well. This hadn't been planned. She'd stood up to them without any prior knowledge it would come out well, and although he would never admit it out loud he grudgingly respected her a bit more than he did when he first entered the room because of it.

Marilyn and Cobalt smiled broadly. Yami attempted to swallow his disgust: namely vomit.

Silently, he vowed to make their lives hell in repayment for their stunt. They would regret adopting him. He would make sure of that.

But first, Yami faced a personal hell of his own. It was the next day and, as promised, Yami had a game to teach to a five year old.

Chess, Bah-humbug.

--::--

"The knight moves in an 'L' shape." Yami told Leo with the patient air of a father.

The mousy haired boy scratched his temple, "Ooooh!" He exclaimed and amended his previous move.

Yami frowned, even with Leo's previous error; he still had Yami on the ropes. Great, he was losing to a five-year old...

Leo hated when Yami went easy on him and despite his age Leo's childish observation hoisted him up to Yami's level. Even if he didn't always understand what he saw. To see and not understand, Yami wished he could return to that kind of mindset.

His thoughts wandered away from the game. Again. How would he explain to Leo he was leaving again? Although Yami was confident that he'd be back at the orphanage before the month was over, he still hated to say goodbye.

"Yami!" Leo whined, he'd grown impatient waiting for the teenager to make his next move and was now entertaining himself by making the knight chase the rook around the board.

Yami directed his attention back to the game and once again had to position a bishop between his king and Leo's queen, a knight blocked her off if she so much as tried to take his new piece.

After a while, Yami managed to drag his king out of jeopardy at the sacrifice of a few pawns in the process. When Yami voiced his dismay at losing the members, Leo looked at Yami questioningly.

"But they're just pawns, what do you need them for?" Leo asked, wide eyes blinking.

Yami smiled fondly at Leo's childish innocence. He realized now would be a wonderful time to bestow upon the impressionable youth a sage, yet inevitably cheesy, quote.

Luckily, Yami didn't look up sugar-coated Confucius sayings in his free time, or fortune cookie ones for that matter, so instead he decided to go with plan 'B'.

"You're supposed to apply chess to everyday life." Yami waved a hand at the board.

"We're supposed to capture people?" Leo asked blankly.

Yami reached a hand across the board and ruffled Leo's hair. The child pouted and squirmed in his seat, "Quit itttttttttt!" He whined.

The older boy smirked and sat back down, "Okay."

He paused and glanced down at the board, "But this draws to a close." He picked up his chipped black knight and moved it into a white square a good distance from Leo's king, blocking its escape between a rook and a bishop.

"Checkmate."

A shadow crossed over Leo's face for a second before disappearing in an angry pout. Disappointment shone clear.

"Aw Yami! You're so mean!" Leo crossed his arms over his chest.

Yami rolled his eyes and stood up, "What is this?" He asked, "Do I hear a bad case of sour grapes?" He smirked, "Would you like some crackers with that whine?"

Leo pounced on Yami's legs, clinging there like the small child he was. If he attempted to knock Yami down the teenager took no notice. In fact, Yami began walking around the room with little Leo still adhered to his leg completely unperturbed.

This made the child forget his bad mood and explode into a fit of giggles, "Go faster, faster!"

Yami had created a monster...

The orphan complied and jogged lightly around the room, careful not to jostle Leo too badly. Leo's spasmodic laughter filled the air and Yami couldn't help but laugh along with the boy until they both were tired and their lungs hurt from laughing so hard.

Eventually Yami lay down on a couch that sagged sadly from age and use. Yami vaguely remembered a time where it had been a new shade of light tan. Now it was an old and tattered gray. Like pretty much everything else around.

Yami rested his head against the armrest, not caring that the peeling fabric was flaking off into his wild multi-colored hair.

Leo clambered onto the limp cushions and laid his head on Yami's stomach, "What's wrong?" Leo blinked at the teenager. Yami smiled a little sadly, nothing went unnoticed while Leo was around.

"Well," Yami sighed and glanced at the five year old, "I'll be taking a trip for a little while..."

Leo's baby face scrunched up in misunderstanding, "What does Yami mean?" The orphan looked at Leo expressively and tried to convey his feelings without using words. Leo didn't break Yami's crimson gaze. He just lay across Yami's stomach expectantly, tiny fingers folded under his chubby chin.

The teenager knew there was no use beating around the bush, sooner or later Leo would find out. Yami took a deep breathe and prepared himself for all the fury a five year old could release.

"I'm being adopted again Leo..." He said quietly.

At first Leo merely looked stunned, but soon overcame his shock. Tears began to well in the child's eyes and roll in fat droplets down his chubby cheeks.

"B-but, why?" He cried, "Why is Yami leaving Leo? Can't Leo come with Yami?" Sadly, the teenager shook his head and the five-year old erupted in noisy tears.

"Bu-but, but..." Leo sniffled. Tears saturated his face and Yami's black shirt; the teenager busied himself by trying to find Leo a handkerchief, "Every time Yami comes back, he's always so sad."

The older orphan froze in his search to find something to wipe Leo's face. He glanced at the child, once again surprised at the amount of perception Leo showed.

It was true. After all the dysfunctional adoptions he had suffered in his life, Yami had all but given up on humanity. Each time he was adopted, Yami had been broken worse than before.

And each time Yami would have to pick up the broken pieces of his sanity and tape it back together with a cheap adhesive. Yami was afraid what would happen to him this time. The family always looked nice, but that meant nothing to him. Every family looked nice on the outside, but most were a chock full of abuse and drugs. Memories of the Sobek's threat made him shiver, and he wasn't even starting out on a good foot with this one. What were the odds he'd survive at all nevermind unscathed?

Yami gave himself a firm mental shake and focused instead on Leo's innocent concern. He finally fished a worn gray hanky from his pocket and dried the child's face.

"Thank you Leo." Yami said kindly, "But I'll be fine." He tucked the wet cloth back in his pocket and set his hand on Leo's mousy haired head. "And I'll visit you every week. You won't even notice I'm gone."

It was a lie, and Yami felt all the worse for saying it, but there was no way he could explain the fate that likely awaited him to the boy. Perceptive or not Leo wouldn't understand, and Yami was still unwilling to destroy the boy's fragile hold on his innocence. Instead he just wrapped his arms tightly around the small figure in what was as close to a loving hug as he ever got.

Leo wiped an eye with his tiny fist, "Really?" He asked through a watery smile. Yami nodded and pushed Leo's bangs from his face.

"Now go wash up." He told Leo gently, "You don't want the other kids to see you crying do you?" Leo wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

Yami laughed, "There, you see?" He sat up and picked Leo off his lap. He set the child on the floor and nudged him forward, "Go on."

Leo shot him a diminutive glare and went to clean himself off. It would do him no good if the other children saw him soaked in tears.

Yami reclined back on the couch, cerise eyes glued to the cracked ceiling. He was wrapped in his thoughts, aware that he might find himself unable to keep his promise to Leo. It pained him to leave the boy disappointed, but he didn't know where his new 'parents' were going to take him, how far from the orphanage or how near. He hoped it was close.

Crimson eyes slide shut and Yami was suddenly aware of how very tired the last few days had made him...

All he wanted to do was take a nap...

Just one... tiny... nap...

A sharp pain in Yami's side woke him with a start. He sat up with a jerk and looked around himself wildly. He found the source of his pain sitting across him with a smile on its face.

Sitting with legs crossed on a rickety wooden chair, a teenager with snowy white hair sat before him, "Good morning sleepy head." The teenager said in amusement, "You slept straight through the day." He cocked his head, smiling, "Before you get nervous, Leo has been playing with the other children."

Yami looked relieved, "Thanks Ryou."

"No problem." Ryou replied serenely.

He was a slim youth with green eyes and skin almost as pale as his bleached hair. He and another boy at the orphanage were the closest things Yami had to friends other than Leo.

"When did you get back Ryou?" Yami asked. His eyes raked over his friend's slight frame. He hadn't seen the albino in months. Ryou had been adopted.

Now he was back with a slight limp to his step and bruises decorating his face. Yami assumed Ryou hid more bruises under his long sleeved shirts and cargo pants despite the summer's heat but he didn't comment on them. He understood their cause only too well, and felt a wave of sympathy for the seemingly fragile boy. At least here at the orphanage bruises and contusions showed up on Ryou much less frequently now that Yami was there to back the timid albino up.

Although he didn't seem really timid now. Ryou had apparently decided to take up the habit of poking Yami between the ribs, "Stop it!" He snapped, swatting Ryou's hand away.

Green eyes rolled, "Well while you were off in la-la land! You didn't notice I answered your question." He leaned back in the dilapidated chair ignoring its groan of protest.

"Oh, sorry." Yami rubbed sleep from his eyes and waved a tan hand at Ryou, "What did you say?"

Ryou smiled gently. He was always a gentle soul and like Leo he seemed to know when something was bothering a person, "I've been back since about the time you told Leo you were being adopted again."

This was part of the reason Yami hated talking to Ryou when something was on his mind. Ryou had the ability to read Yami like a large print book, on tape... if that was even possible.

Yami rolled his shoulders and enjoyed the loud crack that resounded in the air. Ryou winced, "You know you're going to get osteoporosis if you keep doing that..."

Yami smiled, "No way, I have strong bones..." And as though proving a point, went ahead and began to crack the bones in his fingers, neck and back.

Ryou shuddered and glared at Yami mildly, "Jerk..."

"You know you love it as much as I do."

Ryou looked around, ignoring the last statement. "Have you seen Malik around anywhere?"

Yami shook his head, "The last time I checked he was causing an unspeakable amount of chaos in the attic..."

Ryou raised an eyebrow, "Without you?"

"Yeah, I've decided to turn over a new leaf."

Ryou looked at him in disbelief, "Would this 'new leaf' happen to be rotten, dried, and about to fall off the tree?"

Nothing got by the albino. Yami sighed, "Yeah, you're right. I was just too damn lazy to walk up those crazy steps."

Ryou pushed Yami's legs off the couch and plopped down on the other side. A large white plum of smoke rose in the air from the force Ryou had used to sit down. The two orphans watched it swirl in the air for a little while, each saying nothing. The dust twisted in the air, hanging suspended. It moved towards the dark, open window before evaporating into nothingness.

The two teenagers sat on the couch, both silent and staring at the spot where the fragments were last seen. For some reason, the disappearing dust weighed heavily on their minds, almost symbolically representing what would happen to them if they tried to escape the fate which condemned them. What that fate was neither knew. But its possibilities weighed heavily on their minds all the same.

Silently Ryou stood up and walked towards the window. He looked back at Yami and smiled, "It's gone..." He said softly.

Yami nodded, shrugging his shoulders. "Close the window..." Ryou complied and took a hold of the rusty golden latch. He shut the milky glass, with a click.

Ryou's white face was reflected in the glass and subconsciously he reached up to touched his bruised face. Red eyes bored holes into his back and Ryou quickly withdrew his hand, forcing a smile on his face. He turned around nervously, "Shall we go see Malik?"

Yami frowned, studying Ryou for a long time. He knew he made the albino uncomfortable under his gaze; his ruby eyes usually did that to people, but he could tell something deeply troubled the albino. And he was afraid he could take a few educated guesses on what.

Ryou flushed red under the dark bruises, knowing his darker friend was reading through his attempts at hiding his troubles. He broke Yami's gaze nervously.

"Sure." Yami muttered and smirked teasingly, simply for Ryou's benefit. Relieved, Ryou nodded and beckoned Yami towards the stairs. The crimson eyed teenager groaned, "I hate these damn things..."

He had every right to hate them; because odd things tended to happen to Yami whenever he walked up stairs of any kind. When he was eight and walking down the rickety stairs of the orphanage, he had stepped on a rotten board fell through into the basement. If it weren't for Ryou and Malik hoisting him back up by his arms, Yami would have been seriously injured.

Another time in one of Yami's adoption homes, he tried running away from his new foster father - who had been drinking excessively - when he tripped and rolled his ankle, resulting in a headfirst free-fall down the stairs. He was put into the care of a child service officer for a while, and eventually returned to the orphanage.

Yami and stairs did not agree with one another.

In fact, they were mortal enemies. If the stairs weren't inanimate, Yami was certain they were out to get him. Yami could often be seen at the bottom of the flight of stairs, hammer and nails in hand. He occasionally would mutter a curse or incoherent sentence along the lines of, "Try to kill me, huh? I'll show you..."

Ryou looked back at Yami, who was too busy glaring blackly at the stairs to notice the patronizing look Ryou sent him, "Come on Yami, the terrifying staircase isn't going to bite you." He laughed.

"What are you talking about Ryou, can't you see the fangs and laser beams coming from the safety rail?" The other quipped only half joking.

The albino just shook his head and smiled. "Out of all your bravery, the mighty Yami quails under the fearsome power of the staircase."

"Shut up." Score one for the clever retort committee.

The two orphans walked up towards the attic. Yami clung to the safety rail despite the fangs which grew from them. An explosion racked the orphanage and shook the worn floor. Ryou grabbed a hold of the safety rail as well.

"Just what on earth is he doing up there?!" He demanded. Yami just shrugged and continued his journey up the stairs. "No idea, but I think he's over staying his life expectancy..." He growled shooting a hapless step a withering glare. Ryou snickered.

They proceeded to the landing and Ryou found himself in the company of an irritated Yami. He hammered on the attic door until Malik's tan head popped out from a small crack. Yami kicked the protruding head back into the room, and Malik released a pained yelp before peering out more cautiously this time.

"Oh, it's just you guys."

"Yeah," Yami scowled, "Just let us in now before one of the caretakers finally realizes where these random explosions originate from."

Malik opened the door; his lavender eyes were squinted in pain, "Come on in..."

"Don't mind if we do." Ryou replied.

The attic Malik was usually found in was tiny, with a sloping roof and mildew clinging to the walls. It smelled strongly of disinfect and a pungent odor of chemicals hung in the air like inexpensive cologne which had been discounted several times.

"Dang," Yami wrinkled his nose, "It smells like a cheap Louisiana whore in here..."

"I could say the same about your breath." Malik jokingly shot back. He busied himself with his new explosive. He held it up in the light, showing it off to his two comrades, "I call this one The Boom Master 360."

"Good for you..."

"What does it do?" Ryou asked, polite as ever.

"Well first, you press this button... and this device starts counting backwards..."

Yami drowned Malik's explanation out, he didn't really care what the 'Boom Master 360' did. He guessed it went 'Boom'.

He enjoyed the two orphan's presence. He didn't consider them 'friends'. That was a strong word to describe people. But they were tolerable company, and broke up the monotony of orphanage life from time to time. Certainly, they were as close to the word as Yami would let them get. He realized that there was a good chance he wouldn't be able to see the two of them again either. For some reason that made his chest ache.

Suddenly depressed Yami stood up, "I'm going to bed." He announced abruptly.

Malik barely looked up from his bomb, "We don't care." His mouth curved into a playful smirk.

Yami decided that everyone was a smartass.

By the end of the week, Yami had all his things neat and tucked away in a worn backpack he had since he was young. The backpack carried all his things since the beginning and he was glad to have something to remind himself of life at the orphanage even if he hated it immensely at times. The bag went everywhere with him and Yami found himself relying on it emotionally as a rock.

Apparently when his mother dropped him off at the orphanage, she came with nothing more than Yami wrapped in a tattered gray blanket, and a black backpack filled with diapers. The teenager no longer had the blanket, but he still held onto the backpack. It was battered and worn, and the long gashes on the sides and tear through the middle had been inexpertly mended and patched over the years. But just like Yami it had managed to survive. And, once again, the back pack would be going on a journey with him, to another crazy foster home. He hoped it would last one last trip.

"Yami, are you ready to go?" Ryou asked from the door way.

Yami nodded and slung his bag over his shoulder. He glanced at Ryou, crimson eyes meeting green. "Take care of Leo for me, okay?" He asked hesitantly, "Say bye to Malik."

Ryou agreed immediately, "Of course."

Yami smiled, flashing the albino a mouthful of perfect straight teeth. "Thank you..." He said sincerely.

Ryou waved his hand and dismissed it, "Really, don't mention it." He grinned, "You make little children cry when you're so grateful. It's creepy."

Yami rolled his eyes. The one time he's nice, it gets smashed in his face. He punched Ryou gently on the shoulder, "Screw you."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?"

Yami didn't grace that with an answer but stomped out of his room and down the stairs (treading ever so cautiously in case they felt the urge to trip him one last time).

Leo and Ms. Teana were waiting in the foyer. Yami found this odd, Ms. Teana almost never ventured out of her office unless she had to eat, pee, or punish someone. She looked at him with her hard blue eyes and frowned. She was very pale and looked physically ill. She gripped his strong arm and said in a flat whisper, "Thank you."

Dumbfounded, Yami watched Teana as she jerked her head towards the Sobeks who patiently waited by the door. Saying nothing else, she marched back up the stairs her heels clicking on the wooden floor. They watched her go, surprised by the abrupt departure.

Marilyn looked Yami, "Are you ready to go?"

"Give me a second." He mumbled in a half hearted attempt to be polite. He still hated them for the stunt they'd pulled, but he didn't have the energy to be more than mildly venomous when he was saying goodbye to the only things in his life he gave even a remote damn about.

He crouched down in front of Leo, "Are you going to be good?"

The mousy haired boy nodded and sniffled, "When are you going to come back?" Yami looked at his new foster parents silently reaffirming his vow to make their lives so miserable they rushed him back.

"Soon." He promised, "But no tears, okay?" He ruffled Leo's hair, "Okay?"

Leo nodded, "Okay..." He replied clearly trying not to cry. He wrapped his tiny arms around Yami's neck and the teenager returned the hug, squeezing his charge gently.

After a few seconds Yami broke the hug off and stood up, "I'll see you soon Leo." He turned around and nodded back to his new foster family resolve firm, "I'm ready to go."

Yami left the orphanage and didn't look back. He didn't know when he'd see it again. But he promised himself that when he did he'd find a way to get Ryou, Malik, and Leo out of that hell hole, and they would prove to Teana, and everyone else, that they didn't need them or their fucked up ideas about family.


	3. Violet Eyes

**_Right! My computer was giving me a lot of trouble so I wasn't able to post all the chapters that I had planned. Sorry about that guys. But here we are now! Teratos High: Demon Hunters! Chapter 3 is right here!_**

**_Read 'em and weep._**

--::--

As expected, a large band of paparazzi ambushed them the second they stepped out the door. Despite his lack of surprise over the media frenzy it was an unnerving situation for Yami since he was unaccustomed to the amount of attention he received at all angles. In his experience attention usually came from at most half a dozen people and that was only when the people involved were 'official'. So to have hoards of reporters screaming themselves hoarse on all sides was a bit intimidating to say the least.

The screams came from all sides the instant his boot touched the orphanage's driveway. Large microphones were shoved in his face, seemingly directly connected to a person shouting questions at him. The reporters demanded to know his age, birthday, zodiac sign, and sexual orientation, dating status, blood type, weight, and height.

Did they want to know how well he could curse? Because his temper had begun inching dangerously close to a boiling point; Malik, who had apparently been hiding outside all this time just to see Yami's reaction to the 'rabid animals', made certain to warn everyone within twenty five feet of Yami not to 'Irritate the Barbiturate.'

Yeah. His specialty was bombs, not names. And in this case, Yami didn't know if he should be insulted that he was being called a sedative... or complimented.

Awkwardly, Yami did his best to dodge the questions, leaving the Q&A to his foster mother. She answered the questions with a rehearsed ease, almost as though she knew Yami her entire life. The orphan made it to the car, glanced out the window, and snorted derisively. Marilyn was acting as though she had wiped his stinky little ass when he was potty trained, and if Yami hadn't known better he would have been convinced of the fact himself. She was good. He'd give her that at least.

Cobalt and Yami got the car started while Marilyn dealt with the media. She kindly answered every question and thanked the reporters for taking such a high interest in Yami. She earnestly thanked them for each compliment many of which congratulated her fine eye on choosing such a handsome, upstanding boy.

As if they knew Yami personally. He snorted, if only they knew...

The teenager shut himself in the car and removed his face from the window; it was a vain attempt to shut away the media. To the reporters this just classified Yami as 'innocent, young, and shy'. If Ms. Teana had heard what the reporters were saying, she would have laughed until she peed all over her adult diapers.

Nothing could've been further from the truth.

Yami wasn't shy. He was introverted. A close observer would claim he was antisocial. (A description Yami would readily agree to) An expert could've told the reporters that being an introvert meant that Yami was easily angered and prone to violence. Shy? Not in this lifetime. The media was barking up the totally wrong tree. But then, that was probably a normal state of being for the media...

The shit's going to hit the fan when I finally snap... Yami thought wryly. When the paparazzi caught a whiff of his real personality, they would probably go to town on it. He snorted in amusement this time. That would be funny.

"I hope you enjoy your new life!" One of the over-exuberant reporters yelled through Cobalt's open window. It wasn't likely, but Yami attempted to smile back anyway.

By the time Marilyn had returned to the car Yami was in such a foul mood his foster mother thought he looked like he was about to vomit. For his part Yami stubbornly ignored his new parents and perched himself at the edge of the leather seat. He'd originally planned to pretend they didn't exist, but at some point he must have drifted off to sleep, because the next time his eyes focused, he found himself in an unfamiliar neighborhood with plastic flamingos perched on immaculately trimmed lawns.

Still in a stupor, Yami pressed his nose against the glass and watched large manors and mansions roll past his eyes.

"Where the fuck are we?" Yami asked groggily, "Beverly Hills?"

"Of course not." Marilyn chided, "That's just silly Yami... We're in Georgia!"

'Really. We are? You mean the car hasn't grown wings and flown to California? You're shitting me!' Yami thought sarcastically to himself.

"Well at least we're someplace that makes sense." Yami grumbled lazily, and climbed out of the Sobeks Mercedes. Cobalt parked the car in a winding driveway that led up to a large white house. 'House' was a severe understatement.

A 'Very Large House' would still do the description injustice. Yami felt his jaw drop to his knees, wondering briefly if the closest dentist knew how to re-hinge mouths.

The Sobeks domicile was four stories high with large fire-proof paneled sides and six floor to ceiling windows which lined the face of the house. Simply put the 'house' was a mansion. Victorian styled, with pillars that were grounded before a huge oak door, intricate decals wove through the window shutters, the panels on the door, and the ornate spirals which were sprawled on the pillars.

"Like it?" Cobalt asked, turning to Yami and smiling at his stunned expression, "This is where you'll be living from now on."

Yami snorted a little angry with himself for being so surprised. Honestly, what had he expected? The Sobeks could probably buy half the freaking country if they wanted. _Of course_ they would have a place like this. Besides, even if it wasn't beneath them to mingle with the lower classes, something Yami severely doubted, it wouldn't do for their new 'son' to be seen in anything less than the absolute best. Not good for the public image and all. He was aware that if someone were to see him standing next to his new home from a bird's eye view, all they would see is a tiny smudge of black against the broad expanse of white walls and rolling acres of lush grass, but that was hardly the point. The point was that he was here. And thanks to that media feeding frenzy earlier, he would not only be on the evening news across the country for the next couple weeks at least, he would no doubt be expected to fall into this kind of rich life weeping with gratitude. Yami scowled blackly. No way. No way in hell.

Of all things Yami thought he was - and he knew he was a lot of things, spoiled could never be one of them.

Marilyn looked at Yami's disgruntled expression and rested a hand on his shoulder, "No one will assume anything about you by the place you live." She said kindly, "You can still keep your identity." Yami snapped crimson eyes towards her face and flinched away from her touch as though burned.

"Save your breath on someone who wants to be patronized." He snarled and glared daggers at both foster parents. Cobalt exchanged a knowing look with Marilyn and got out of the car. He walked over to the trunk and popped it open. He picked up Yami's book bag, weighing it with one hand, "Is this it?" He asked, surprised.

"Of course." Yami growled, "Did you think we'd have anything like luxury in an orphanage?" He slammed the door shut and walked up the neat driveway. Everything seemed so perfect in the quiet little suburb. Yami felt distinctly out of place, and was struck with an unsettled feeling in his stomach. Just how far away was he from Leo and the others?

"Where are we?" He repeated his question from earlier. Marilyn looked at him calmly before pulling a set of keys from her purse, "We're in New McEver." She said evenly, "Starting Monday, you'll be attending Teratos High school." She looked at Cobalt lovingly, "That's the school your father and I met."

Yami resisted the urge to gag by a safe margin. How he resisted the urge to correct them on their delusion about Cobalt being his father he had no idea.

"Don't tell me it's also the school you two first started dating." Both Sobeks looked at each other and shrugged.

"Fine, we won't tell you then."

Yami groaned and slapped his hands to his ears. Everyone just lived to contradict, annoy, pester, and in some rare cases, molest Yami. Unfortunately, the red eyed teen was always on the receiving end of jokes and all the previously mentioned. And he only had a day to deal with all the crap being thrown at him today, and get ready and settled for school.

Joy.

He approached the door and stood side by side next to Marilyn. She was fairly tall for a woman and Yami was mildly disgruntled to note he barely reached her height. He guessed she only looked tall beside him because he was relatively short, but judging by the four inch heels Marilyn wore, he supposed it could be worse.

For one thing, he could have those four inch heels shoved up, or into, places they shouldn't be if he was fool enough to mention it... and while Yami _was_ crazy; he wasn't stupid. Instead he resisted the increasingly attractive urge to run away from this lady, he had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn't get very far if he did, those things could probably be classified as lethal weapons... so Yami just tried to move a few discrete feet to the left; a safe distance from her. He was not in the mood to get his face, or anything else, smashed in by 'the female powers that be'.

Marilyn saw his aversion and let out a dignified laugh, "You'll get used to my heel fetish."

"No you won't." Cobalt muttered, "Don't lie to the poor boy." Marilyn shot him a half hearted glare and opened the door. She leaned over to Cobalt's ear and whispered something Yami couldn't make out in his ear.

He abruptly lost all color in his face.

Yami wasn't sure what had just happened, but apparently she'd just whispered something that made him lose his surly attitude towards her shoes. Completely. Yami couldn't stop a small snicker from escaping. For some reason the knowledge that Marilyn was an equal opportunity blackmailer made him feel a little better.

Deciding that discretion might be the better part of valor right about now Yami walked into the house grateful to be escaping the summer heat. Generally speaking he preferred not to bake like a cookie if he could help it. Although he was certain he'd taste absolutely delicious if he was. He mentally snickered at the analogy. Ryou was right. Humility was not a virtue he possessed.

"Your room is on the second floor." Cobalt pointed at the staircase interrupting Yami's thoughts. The teenager looked at his foster father blackly, wondering if the man knew beforehand about Yami's deep seated hatred for all things stair related. He would not have been surprised if he did know about it considering Marilyn's vast knowledge of the orphan, which had rivaled the information Yami knew about himself.

It was a sad thing when a woman you had barely met, knew you better than yourself. Yami mentally cursed any higher force in existence (and Cobalt for good measure) for setting him into battle with his arch-nemesis once again. Those hated stairs... He gritted his teeth, and jerked his head at Cobalt, who was staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Bastard.

Stalling for time Yami decided to ignore Cobalt for a moment and look around. He wasn't quite sure he believed his eyes.

The whole house was sparkling, and Yami was sure that at night it glowed in the dark. Great. He lived in a giant nightlight.

The first fluorescent house. Energy saving, cost efficient, and environmentally-safe.

A Hybrid house.

And like all hybrid items, Yami bet it cost an arm and a leg just to look at it. He just hoped it wouldn't cost him much more than that to live in it. Knowing his luck he'd be fine if he parted with what was left of his soul... freaking demons.

Shoving his bitter thoughts aside, the orphan eyed at the contemporary furniture. Stainless steel with modern technical devices that packed in every corner, giving Yami's new home a hollowed out feeling. He frowned, feeling slightly disappointed. After seeing such a Victorian exterior, he'd hoped the interior would match the expectations of a southern home style. It figured.

"You two settled into your new house quickly." Yami commented bitterly, gazing around the mansion with a practiced eye. The red eyed teenager didn't like all the gaudy things the Sobeks bought with their expansive resources. Did they think they were going to win him over by buying him top of the line items? Hmph. Not likely.

He rubbed his face wearily, thinking it was typical. Most parents now-a-days just threw money at their problems, hoping they would go away. But Yami wasn't used to riches and he knew he didn't need, or particularly want, them. What he really wanted was a homey home. A place with warm colors, furniture that saw plenty of use, and a welcoming atmosphere. A place where he knew immediately he was wanted and safe. This house was devoid of any of that. It was as cold and remote as the people who owned it, and knew as well as Yami did that he was only a temporary resident. He'd be returning to the orphanage soon enough.

"Do you like it?" Marilyn asked softly. An underlying tone Yami couldn't recognize resonated in her voice. Yami was under the impression she was trying to impress him. It made him angry, and with more venom than even he intended, turned towards her.

"Why would I?" He demanded flatly. Yami knew he'd shot down Marilyn's, now obvious, hopes, but she had to realize she couldn't win the stubborn orphan over by stuffing a bunch of fancy electronic items in her house and expecting him to be happy with it. If Yami was considered a problem, he would not be resolved if she threw money at him. A shadow crossed over the woman's face, and for a moment Yami felt like a complete asshole.

The feeling didn't last long.

"Look." He glanced at his two foster parents, "I appreciate that for some reason you're actually trying to make me feel comfortable. Though I can't figure out why you'd care. But just..."

He trailed off unable to voice just what he wanted, or expected, from the Sobeks. He barely knew them, and was still royally pissed about their threat to shut down the orphanage, but somehow, despite his best efforts, they had gradually begun to grow on him a little. Like some weird, demented sort of bacteria... mold... fungus... thing. There was just some sort of feeling deep in his gut that told him to give them a chance. Yami didn't like it, and he sure as hell didn't trust it, or the Sobeks, so he firmed his resolve and turned to his surest defense. Anger and resentment.

"Stop trying." He snapped finally, glaring at the couple. He snatched his bag from Cobalt's tan hand, and stomped up the stairs. Once in, what he assumed was his room he threw his bag in a corner and sat on the bed. It was fully equipped with a downy comforter, feather cushions, and a pillow-top mattress. Hell, in the orphanage, you were lucky to even have a bed frame. He promptly ripped the blanket off the bed and threw it to the floor out of frustrated spite. It landed in the corner across from his back pack, a soft puddle of snow.

Yami felt like laughing at the first class treatment.

In fact, he did laugh.

Yami broke out in convulsive laughs, unable to deal with what was being presented to him. Everything he ever wanted and ever dreamed of having... It was all within reach... And all he had to do to grasp it was take the hands of the people who'd so casually threatened every child in the orphanage with a fate worse than death, and now called him 'son'. It had to be a dream. A sick, twisted, ironic dream.

He laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and laughed until tears came from his red eyes and spilled down his tan cheeks in place of the tears he'd long ago learned not to shed under any circumstance. He stayed in his room all day until the shadows began to spill like ink across his carpet. He simply did nothing but laugh. Yami curled into a ball, fully clothed, with his tattered converse hanging off his feet like the sagging tongue of a dog. He laughed until his lungs ached. He laughed until his throat felt raw. He kept laughing, and nothing could stop him.

Marilyn and Cobalt didn't check on the teenager. They knew full well that Yami didn't trust, or particularly like, them for reasons even they could admit were justifiable. So they left him to his needed space. It was probably just as well, or they might have been obliged to call an ambulance... or better yet, a psychiatrist.

For his part Yami just couldn't stop laughing. But in his mind, he remained silent. Inside, he was just lying on his bed staring at the immaculately scrubbed ceiling and wondering if the Sobeks had ties with the FCC.

He kept up his hysteria, until exhaustion overtook him.

And wondrously, Yami fell asleep.

Flashes of a dream flickered through Yami's minds eye. Aware that he was drifting somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, Yami looked around.

A woman, beautiful beyond any mortal Yami ever laid eyes on, stood in front of him, her back to him. Her long, violet rope of hair was plaited down to her thighs. She looked over a smooth shoulder and caught sight of Yami standing behind her with glassy purple eyes. She turned fully into Yami's view and the orphan reeled back in disgust.

Blood bubbled and spilled from her full lips. Droplets of her life's liquid trailed like gothic tears from her empty amethyst orbs. She smiled at Yami and held out an open palm, beckoning him to take her hand.

An unwilling Yami complied, horrified to find that he couldn't control his body. He couldn't speak, and even if he could find the words to describe this sight, he doubted he would ever be able to utter them aloud.

The woman smiled at Yami, and placed a clear dagger in his hand.

Yami woke with a start, beads of sweat made his black shirt from the previous day stick to his back. His throat hurt and his body gave a painful throb. He vaguely wondered if a Mickey was slipped in his drink yesterday. Then decided the Mickey would've probably been more merciful.

Frustrated, Yami kicked his covers off and watched them tumble onto the fluffy white carpet. Yami squinted annoyed that the fluorescent walls reflected the morning sun from outside. Honestly, did these people have a problem with sleeping in actual darkness?

He decided on the spot that the first thing to leave this room would be the tanning bed experience upon waking up. It was just too freaking white in here. Some nice dark red paint and related colors would probably be a good place to start...

Yami was sure he could find used paint in an old alleyway. He wasn't too excited about painting the room himself though. There were a few things he was good at. Painting wasn't one of them. He wondered if he could get someone to paint his room for him but Yami didn't know anyone in New McEver, and he didn't want to ask the Sobeks either. Oh well. He'd think of something.

Yami trudged down the stairs, gripping the handrail as if it were a lifeline. He wasn't about to tempt fate by walking down without at least gripping the railing. He'd just had one too many accidents on stairs for him not to be very careful.

Once on solid ground, Yami glanced around to see if Marilyn or Cobalt were out. Taking a quick peek out the window he confirmed that they were doing whatever they usually did on Sunday mornings. He felt somewhat relieved that his presence hadn't hindered their daily lives, and was thrilled they were leaving him alone for now. That the relief was tinged with bitterness and a vague disappointment was something he chose not to think about.

'Not that we'd have anything to do besides stare at each other stupidly.' He thought absently as he made himself a hasty breakfast.

He decided that it would do him good to take a page out of the Sobeks book and venture into the world as well. He grabbed his shoes and jammed his feet into the protesting footwear, making a beeline for the door.

It took him fifteen minutes to make it to the bottom of his god-forsaken driveway, and by the time he reached the street, Yami had racked up a few thousand blasphemy points by swearing to God, Mary mother of Christ, and the twelve apostles. All at the same time.

He was going to hell. But that was no surprise to Yami.

Yami paused at the front of his house and made a mental note of all streets and landmarks around. It wouldn't do him any good if he got lost; considering that he had no idea where he was going, but it might be useful later. He smiled for the first time since leaving the orphanage, soaking in the golden sunlight and letting it lull him into a relaxed state where he could forget about his troubles for a while.

Many people thought he was a nocturnal creature, but they would be wrong. Yami loved the sunlight and the bustle that everyday life brought. Night he found to be excessively boring with very few places open that didn't mind under-aged teenagers running around like they were the freaking anti-Christ. Sunlight on the other hand lit up life in all it's screwed up, messy imperfection. Living at the orphanage, and with the freaks who'd adopted him, had robbed him of all trust of perfection long ago. The better something looked on the surface the darker it was underneath. Always.

That was one reason he didn't really trust the Sobeks. They looked too perfect. It made him jumpy. He kept expecting something awful to happen at any moment. He honestly would've felt better about the whole thing if they'd shown up in slightly wrinkled clothes, and had a less polished house.

It would've shown that they acknowledged their faults and didn't hide them. That they didn't mind that Yami had more than a few of his own. He knew it was completely contradictory, but he was just like that. Most orphans were after about the age of twelve.

As it was he was stuck with a couple he one part kind of liked, three parts hated, trusted not at all, and had no idea what to do with. With a slight shake of his head he decided that for now he'd keep up his defenses and wait and see. There wasn't much else he _could_ do really. With that thought in mind he returned to his enjoyment of the sunlight and the peace walking aimlessly brought.

Later that afternoon Yami walked towards New McEver Road, confident that he wouldn't get lost. It had taken him a while, but he'd eventually wandered out of the neighborhood in time to discover a Sonic for a late lunch. After a couple hours of munching fries, sipping coke, and people watching (during which one of the waitresses had flirted with him outrageously) he'd decided he'd had enough of humanity for one day and started heading back.

He had been surprised to find that the Sobeks did not seem to think of themselves as better than everyone else. Apparently they didn't mind living amongst the middle class, didn't belong to the local country club, and generally broke the stereotypical mold one pictures with a CEO. In fact, Yami had found out that the only neighborhood with mansions in it was the one the Sobeks were currently living in. The other neighborhoods were fairly average.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of that.

"Yeah, those Sobeks are really something." A man, with a particularly thick southern accent, at one of the corner stores told him happily when he stepped in for a pack of gum. He then proceeded to try the orphan's negligible patience with a detailed history of the house in between his effusive praises of the couple living there.

The history, at least, had been tolerably interesting...

It seemed the house Marilyn and Cobalt lived in was one of the few which had managed to survive Sherman's march to the sea. The mansions around the original were simply replicas of designs that had been salvaged from old documents unearthed in the restored Sobek Manor.

Yami accepted the information readily enough, but took no heed to the cashier's opinions. They meant nothing to an orphan who liked to keep his options open, "Thanks." He said, slapping a dollar on the dirty counter before leaving.

It was around six o'clock by now and the sun was setting. Rush hour was almost over, but the streets were still congested.

Unfortunately, that meant Yami was unable to go back home the same way he had come. Grumbling, Yami turned around to see if he could find a way to walk back to the Sobek's house from behind the corner store when something peculiar caught his attention.

Three people were clustered together. All were boys and two were huge woolly mammoth-like creatures. The large teens hovered over the smaller one, sneering and jeering at him.

From Yami's distance he couldn't make out their faces, but their actions were clear enough to speak volumes. One of the beasts reached out and pulled the small teenager flush against his body running a hand suggestively down the boy's side. And beast number two slid his hand to the boy's rump. A violated screech escaped the victim's lips, and he redoubled his previous efforts to get away; managing to not only smack beast number one across the face hard enough to leave a print, but maneuver himself well enough to knee the bastard in the groin. Hard.

Yami was impressed despite himself as he watched as the first teenager sink to his knees and clutch at his pills in agony. He wouldn't have guessed the kid had it in him. He smirked. Just goes to show how you should never underestimate people. Especially desperate people. Unfortunately, desperate or not, the other teen was clearly no match for the two holding him. A fact that was proved when beast number two growled and grabbed the small teen by the scruff of his collar. He snapped something to the teenager and gave him a rough shake.

That was all it took for Yami to see red. He wasn't in the habit of rescuing people particularly - most days he was too busy worrying about his own hide to care about some stranger - , but it seemed not even he was so low as to ignore something like this happening right in front of him. He purposefully stomped forward until he was parallel to Beast number two's back.

From his angle, he could make out only a little of the small teen's face. A tuft of violet-black hair and an amethyst eye, but that was all he needed. That one pretty eye was wide and terrified. Nothing else mattered. He didn't see the victim gaping at him in complete shock. He was too busy being shocked at himself.

Here he was pulling out his wallet, disconnecting the chain, and getting ready to not only fight for someone other than Leo, Ryou, or Malik, but a complete stranger. This went against everything he had taught himself since he was a kid, and he couldn't help wondering when the Twilight Zone music would start playing because he obviously wasn't operating in normal reality.

'Oh well.' He thought grimly, 'It couldn't hurt me if I was nice to a person once in a while...'

How wrong he was.

Wrapping the chain tightly around his knuckles, he clasped it securely to avoid breaking his hand - that was the last thing he needed. Yami shoved his wallet deeper in his pocket. If he got mugged because of this punk ass brat... he let the threat trail into the air. Nevertheless, the orphan took a deep breath and planted his feet shoulder width apart. With his unchained left hand, Yami spun the Beast towards him.

Up close, Yami was much more impressed by the Beast's girth. Far away he had appeared huge, but up close the Beast was massive however it was the beast's face that made his blood run cold and quick mind stall

"Fuck..." Yami whispered, astonished.

Not only was it ugly, but it seemed oddly misshapen. His skin appeared to have consisted of a leathery and weathered melting sludge. It seemed to move, falling off his face so the white cartilage could be seen underneath beneath the flesh. Jagged yellow teeth dripped thick, foamy white saliva. Putrid breath blasted against Yami's face, and horrified, the orphan found he couldn't move. Fear had paralyzed him.

The Beast's nose was large, swollen like bug, misshapen, and flat. It was as though he had been punched a few too many times in the face. Black, lightless pits were where his eyes ought to have been. But although he was lacking the eyes to see, he was clearly not sightless.

In one massive paw he held up a struggling figure. Yami didn't have time to look at the victim up close. He was currently too busy fighting against every nerve in his body that begged for his escape.

This guy really WAS a Beast!

A snarl ripped from the Beast's lipless mouth, revealing long rows of sharpened fangs.

"Run!" The victim managed to gasp, "Go back home! The night is setting! It will get stronger!"

And it was true; all signs of life had begun to recede. The sounds of cars were long gone, rush hour having finally stopped for the day. Nighttime. The time of demons. The time of hunting...

Suddenly Yami stilled, and a sort of drugged calm crashed down upon him like a wave. It came from seemingly no where. A pulse pounded through him.

' -Are they gone?- A woman whispered softly. She clutched a sleeping baby to her chest.'

Yami gasped for breath. What was going on?

'A hunted family crouched in leaves; there was no escape for them...'

His vision swam.

' -But maybe...- The man thought, -Maybe my son might survive...-'

Another pulse hit him. It sounded like a heartbeat...

' -Go!- A kiss goodbye and nothing more...'

Yami staggered. Inexplicable grief welled up inside him.

'The monster raised a massive paw, severing the man into two bloody pieces... and there he died, alone and in unspeakable agony...'

The grief turned into rage.

' -His name will be Yami, and may he swallow the demons in his shadows...-'

Yami's fist collided with the Beast's jaw as his rage exploded overpowering his common sense. His chain dug deep into the Beast's jaw, instantly tearing the skin off Yami's knuckles in dark bloody gashes. Red eyes widened in momentary shock. He hadn't meant to punch the Beast. Something in him had just snapped. But strangely enough Yami couldn't feel fear.

Only a smug satisfaction of causing the thing pain.

Yami's punch had the desired effect and the beast let go of his victim. He turned towards Yami, filled with malicious intent. Silently, almost clinically, Yami gauged the monster's reaction time with what could only be called a practiced eye and eerie calm even though his expression held nothing but contempt and disgust. Something within him told him that the creature was tough, but not above his skill. A worthy first kill...

Where that thought came from Yami had no idea, but he shoved it aside in favor of more important things. Like winning.

"Aw, did the baby get a boo boo?" He taunted with a smirk.

With surprising speed, the other Beast swung at Yami with a massive paw. The orphan ducked around the arm and sunk his fists into his opponent's stomach before dancing out of reach. He knew instantly that he'd injured his hands more. Punching either of these beasts was a lot like trying to deflate a tractor tire with a needle. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, deadening the pain. He'd be alright for a little while.

Winded, the Beast knelt beside his fallen comrade, "What? You're done already?" Yami jeered. He stepped up and grinned maliciously, "I suppose you're not going to try hitting on little boys anymore, right?" He asked.

Where did all this confidence come from?

Yami didn't know. Staring at the ugly teenager, the orphan didn't feel like himself. He slapped himself on the face and abruptly came to his senses. Seeing the bruised face of the teenager, Yami wasn't sure if he had imagined the monstrosity or not. The battered molesters were obviously nothing more than ugly teenagers.

Panic slammed into his gut with the force of a baseball bat. Blindly he backed away from the wheezing and bloody boys all traces of calm shattered. His thoughts spun out of control. What had just happened to him? Was it really possible for him to have imagined such a monster?

Memories of his dream floated back to his mind. Yes, he told himself. It _was_ possible for his mind to conjure up a beast that terrifying. It had done so before. There hadn't been any monsters there. It had just been the changing light melting the teenager's faces into something inhuman. Sure. And the fury he'd felt was because they'd been about to rape someone...

That had to be it.

He backed further away from the fallen thugs a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't't spare the victum a second glance. He needed to get out of there. Now.

Without a second thought he turned and ran.

Stunned violet eyes watched him leave.

When Yami got home he found the Sobeks car parked in the driveway. They originally planned to get on Yami's case for not leaving a note for them, but when they heard the door slam open they caught sight of their foster son's ashen face.

"What's wrong?" Marilyn cried in alarm. Cobalt stood up, restrained concern rolling off his shoulders in waves.

Yami frowned and muttered a quick, "Nothing." Before stomping up to his room and locking the door. His only thought was to get away and convince himself that he imagined everything and nothing was wrong. That maybe he was still dreaming...

Yami gazed at the deep gashes on his knuckles, vaguely remembering the burning hatred that ripped through him.

It was real. All of it. Oh god.

He was scared...

Scared of himself...

Because deep down inside... he liked it...


	4. Breakfast

**_Chapter four was... not easy to revise. We had trouble keeping Yami in character. By the way. Cobalt and Marilyn are NOT OC's. Leo was an unintentional OC. After all, he was supposed to be "Leon" from Kaiba's Grand Prix thing. Whatever that was. Anyway, I just needed a little kid character and thus, Leo was born._**

--::--

The alarm went off at six am. It was a rather futile attempt to wake the orphan up however, since Yami just hit the snooze button until it read seven. He and mornings did not get along well.

"Yami! If you hit that snooze button one more time, I'll personally make sure to nail the clock to your forehead!" Cobalt shouted from the hallway. Yami couldn't resist a sleepy snicker at the mental image. He'd give Cobalt points for creativity if nothing else...

The sky was just beginning to lighten, about fifteen minutes later, when Yami finally conceded and decided to roll out of bed. As the orphan sat up and stretched the previous night had all but been forgotten in favor of getting his mind working enough to blearily look around the room; and try to remember where he'd put all his stuff. He was too groggy to even notice that the bruises and broken knuckles had been somehow healed during the night leaving only a thin line of jagged scars running across one hand. Instead he lurched to his feet, and after a toe stubbing encounter with his, still unused, chest of drawers, managed to wake himself up enough to grab his backpack and get dressed. Glancing at the clock he swore softly and hastily dumped the rest of his unpacked clothes on the mattress, and proceeded to stuff his paper and pens into the various pockets of the much abused backpack.

"Are you ready?" Cobalt demanded, hammering on Yami's oak door again. The orphan rolled his eyes.

There was nothing quite like meeting the day to smiling faces.

When Cobalt didn't receive an answer, he exploded, "IF YOU AREN'T OUT IN FIVE MINUTES I'M COMING IN!" Cobalt roared. Yami was mildly impressed when dust filaments fell from the ceiling. That took effort.

Yami didn't take the shout personally. His foster father probably wasn't much of a morning person. He'd dealt with people like that before. That was why he decided against dawdling by the door for another fifteen minutes. A wise choice on Yami's behalf, because Cobalt seemed ready to break the fancy wood in with a battering ram.

"Yeah yeah," Yami opened the door, "Keep your wig on." He muttered and shot a quick glance at Cobalt's bald head, "Or not..."

He hung around for a second to see Cobalt's expression; then decided to brave the dreaded stairs instead of go toe to toe with a very angry, very bald Cobalt. When he saw his foster father's face change to the color which matched his name, all the signs screamed 'run away'. He did so with a snicker.

Upon reaching the large, chrome plated kitchen - complete with chrome floors, ceilings, counters and appliances (Yami privately hoped he wouldn't have to cook in here during the summer), Yami watched Marilyn run around like she had accidentally set her stockings on fire. He would've been amused by the sight if the whole routine of 'fussing mother' hadn't set his teeth on edge. Really, who did she think she was fooling?

"Do you have enough paper and pens?" She asked anxiously.

"Yes." Yami sighed for what had to be the fifth time. This was getting tiring. So he did what he always had when faced with such things... he blocked her out. He was used to the typical foster mother's 'concern'. He knew the 'feelings' would eventually die out. They always did. Just like everything else in life. 'Love', 'Happiness', and even 'Lust' never lasted forever.

She glanced first at her wrist watch than at Yami's tired face. By this time the orphan could tell she was genuinely concerned... about something. But what it was about, Yami wasn't sure. After all, he was just going to school.

What could happen?

"What?" Yami demanded in exasperation; half expecting her to start lecturing him about the do's and dont's when talking to strangers. This was getting ridiculous. What he wasn't expecting however, was the tirade that issued forth from her mouth next.

"Are you okay? You look a bit tired. Is this about yesterday? If it is, you know you can talk to us about it-"

Yami had almost completely forgotten about the incident from yesterday, so it shocked him that Marilyn recalled the incident so vividly, "N-No thanks." He stuttered in surprise. He'd meant to sound firm and cold, but his surprise and the memories had melted his voice into a faint squeak.

"Cobalt and I were so worried-..."

_'Oh yes, I'm so sure you were worried...'_ He thought grimly and repressed a growl _'...about your unhappy fans... What would they say if they found out about your 'precious' foster son's illegal activities?'_ His knuckles gave a throb at the thought, but he ignored it in favor eyeing his foster mother curiously.

She sort of... looked sincere...

He wasn't sure what to make of that. Why would they act like they cared so much? He was just a publicity stunt to make them look better to the public at best. Something to be waved in front of the cameras for a few months and then shoved out the door with a little money in his pocket when he turned eighteen. It wasn't like he actually mattered to them.

Right?

Shaking off his thoughts he walked with her out to the front door and were shortly joined by Cobalt - who was thankfully in a better mood.

Without anything better to do Yami trained his red eyes on the tacky pink flamingo sticking up from their neighbor's front lawn. It looked like something out of a demented cartoon, and he was half afraid it might come to life and brandish a rocket launcher. Not that he'd mind particularly if the pink bird blew the Sobeks up, but he'd have some serious issues with it if their car was destroyed... it was really nice...

"Will you be okay on your own?" Marilyn questioned anxiously.

Yami rolled his tense shoulders. He fixed his two foster parents with an aggravated look finally at the end of his patience, "I know this will sound surprising, but I've been doing this 'school' thing for a while now... Oh, say the last thirteen years."

"Just checking." Marilyn muttered. Her blue eyes met with Cobalt's green, and they shared a private moment.

The orphan watched as Marilyn fished through her purse for a few seconds before withdrawing a spare set of keys. "These are yours. Have a good day at school."

Yami took the keys and shoved them in his pocket. Those were vain hopes, but Yami shrugged nonetheless. As reluctant as he was to admit it, he was touched by Marilyn's thought over getting Yami his very own set of keys. Maybe these people weren't so bad... "I'm not promising anything."

Marilyn smiled, a faint look of shock crossing her face. She'd obviously caught his double meaning, "But you'll try?"

He adjusted the book bag's strap on his shoulder and didn't answer. He glanced back at his foster parents and nodded before walking down the ridiculously long driveway. He might... try.

He trudged up to the front of the neighborhood where the bus would pick students up. Marilyn refused to let Yami walk to school on the first day when he could easily take the bus, she said it wasn't ethical.

Whatever.

Yami hadn't waited five minutes when a pale girl limped up to the stop. Yami crinkled his nose when a faint odor drifted from the girl.

It smelled strongly of fermented meat digested by rabid cannibals. Although fragrant, it was not a Kelvin Cline product that was for sure.

They stood in a customary silence and Yami occasionally gagged against the smell. The girl looked at him with colorless eyes, seemingly unaware that she was making Yami uncomfortable with her pungent smell.

Or maybe she was. It was hard to tell when one's eyes were watering.

Her skin was flaky and peeled as though it died a long time ago, but was now just recently beginning to come off her flesh. Yami would have suggested a good moisturizer to her if he wasn't trying to keep this morning's breakfast and last night's half-digested dinner in his stomach.

No where near soon enough, the bus came to a stop in front of the two teenagers. It was large, with completely black tinted windows. The body was sleek silver, a stark contrast to the rolling Twinkie of regular public schools. Teratos High really wasn't pulling any punches.

Once the two of them boarded, the girl took her place at the front of the bus, and in a desperate attempt to put some distance between himself and the odor, Yami seated himself in the far back.

The glow from the bus window was cold and blue from the darkened glass. It washed the color form Yami's face. He scowled, "I need a car..." His last adoptive parents, a cruel middle-aged couple, had commandeered his last vehicle of choice. Not that it had been much of a choice once his 'parents' had gotten done with it. The car was a refurbished Thunderbird, artfully dubbed, 'The Death Bucket' by none other than Yami. He'd been seriously disappointed and angry when it was taken from him.

The sooner he could get a method of transportation, the sooner he could get away from the girl who reeked like a grave robber who hadn't bathed in weeks.

Once again, the girl turned in her seat from the front of the bus to stare directly at Yami. The colorless eyes locked on the orphan, and Yami had the odd but sinking suspicion that she could read his mind. Yami almost laughed at his thoughts. He really needed to stop watching so much sci-fi.

Feeling mischievous, and a little vindictive, Yami looked directly at the zombie-girl, and thought 'You're stinky.' seamlessly in his head; sure that he was making eye contact with the girl's milky retinas, 'You are RANK! So take a bath!'

The girl's eyebrows shot downward into a harsh 'v', she flushed red and turned away as though insulted.

Astonished, Yami continued to stare at the girl long after she looked away. Only when the bus pulled up to the next stop did Yami snap from his stupor. He wrote the girl's timing off as a freaky coincidence. He was unaware of just how freaky things were about to get.

Feeling bored now Yami pulled his CD player from his bag and buried the head phone buds in his ears. Taking a quick browse through his case jam packed with CDs, he withdrew Nightwish and grinned. Nothing beat rock and rock opera first thing in the morning. Especially when one had a long, annoying day of school ahead of them.

Unnoticed by the orphan, two teenagers got on the bus. They zeroed in on the new punk who was sitting in their seat (also known as Yami). Both had abnormally light hair; one to the extreme of pure white, and the other to blond. If Yami had looked up, he would have noticed the similarities between the white haired teenager and his friend Ryou, and the blond hair teenager and his friend Malik. Though there were distinct differences. While Ryou was pale, this new teenager was a dark tan, with gleaming garnet eyes and his white hair spiking out at angry angles. The Malik look-a-like had dark lavender eyes, deeply tanned skin, and spiky sandy hair. In both cases the clones stalking Yami clearly had height and mass over his two friends.

Yami did notice however when his CD player was snatched from his hands and headphones ripped from his ears. He glanced upward, eager to see the face of the person who dared to deprive Yami of his music fetish. If you screwed around with Yami's music, it would most likely be the last thing they would ever do.

"Hey Mariku, look at the little suckling who's in our seat!" The Ryou look a like jeered and opened Yami's CD player, "Nightwish..." He muttered, "Well, he's not a complete waste of space."

The orphan glared at the tan version of Ryou, wondering if he had a particular death fantasy. If so, he'd be more than happy to make it come true.

"What are we going to do with him Bakura? Mariku wants to play..." The Malik look-a-like giggled.

Bakura rolled his eyes, "Mariku, the last time you played you not only blew up the biology lab they had to call in the CDC and quarantine you for a month." Ignoring his companion's indignant reply he turned to a gaping Yami, "What's your name anyway?"

To answer, or not to answer; that was the question. Jesus, Yami was quoting Hamlet, what had the world come to?

"Yami." He said shortly a little annoyed with himself for being impressed with Mariku's apparent capacity for destruction.

"That's a stupid name."

"It's better than 'Bakura'." Yami shot back. The albino glared at Yami and tossed his CD player back at him. The Nightwish cd rattled in the player before spinning to a halt. Yami grabbed it and lifted the object onto his lap.

"What do you want?" Yami demanded and checked the battery life of the offended device.

"Where are you from?" Bakura ignored the question.

"I don't know." Yami snapped, well aware that what Bakura wanted to know was where he'd gotten his looks from. He always got that question, and it never failed to drive him up the wall.

Bakura looked surprised, "Are you serious?" He looked at Mariku. The blond jumped into the aisle and forced himself into Yami's seat. Mariku lowered his voice into a conspiratorial whisper. Lavender eyes focused on Yami's face, and the orphan was under the impression that the teenager in front of him could be classified under the category of 'mentally unstable'.

So absorbed was Yami in his musings, he missed the question Mariku was asking him.

"What was that? I wasn't paying attention." Yami turned towards Mariku.

The teenager gave a frustrated growl and snapped his teeth together. That's when Yami noticed that the teenager had rather long canines. Sorta like fangs. Okay, that was kinda creepy...

"Mariku asked Yami if he knew how and where he was created." If Bakura found it odd that Mariku was referring to himself in the third person, he didn't comment on it.

Yami quirked eyebrows, more than a little surprised that a teenager his age would flatly ask him a question like that, and not know the answer. He'd at least figured out the mechanics of it by the time he was nine for pete's sake! How could you get to be a teenager and not know this?

"Well..." He began slowly, as though speaking to a small, or particularly slow, child, "When two people love each other, they sometimes perform an act together... in the case of a man and woman that often creates something called a 'baby'."

Bakura and Mariku exchanged a slow look with one another. After a long pause, Bakura joined the seat with Yami and Mariku, squishing the orphan against the wall.

"This is going to sound weird," He began flatly, "But I thought I smelt a heart beating here..." He cracked his neck. Yami noticed Bakura's eyes glowed faintly red against the shadows cast by the tinted windows of the bus, "By any chance are, you a human?"

Before Yami could reply, Mariku, who was seemingly unable to control himself any longer, did something the orphan felt was so weird, so nasty he began to wonder if the other really did think he was a vampire or something.

What did Mariku do to freak Yami out? It wasn't really that bad, but Yami still found it disgusting.

Mariku tasted him.

Not that Yami was really thinking about it that way... What Yami saw, was a teenager holding his arm in a bear trap, and slobbering all over it. With a surprising display of strength he ripped his arm from Mariku's grip. His heart pounded against his chest, and a thrill of fear shot through his nerves.

"Keep your tongue to yourself!" Yami shouted, holding his arm protectively to his chest.

The blond ignored him scrunching his nose in disgust and gagged. "You taste nasty..."

"Well it's your fault you licked me. And what the fuck was that about anyway!"

All of Yami's yelling had attracted the attention of the bus driver. He pulled over to the side of the road and locked the emergency break into place, leaving his signals flashing. He slowly unbuckled his seat belt and stood up.

That driver's form lumbered across the mostly empty bus, stopping only to squeeze his huge form between the narrow seats.

Yami's gratitude at being rescued from the creepy teenagers who wanted to practice cannibalism promptly dissolved when he saw the driver's physique.

Green, slimy, and oozing out of his coveralls, the driver looked at the three teenagers with stern, buggy yellow eyes, "Is there a problem back here?"

Bakura and Mariku, unfazed by the bus driver's oily appearance smiled innocently and blinked large bambi eyes at him, "No sir!" They sang simultaneously.

He grunted under his breath, obviously amused, but trying to act firm, "And you?" He asked, turning to Yami.

The orphan, wide eyed and stunned, could only gape wordlessly at the humanoid mud ball standing in front of him in between the narrow seats.

"Well?" The driver demanded, spraying the orphan in the face with bits of wet dirt and slime. When he received no further answer from Yami other than a horrified gasp, he gave an irritated sigh, "Look kid, I've got to pick twenty more kids up at seven different stops, and I don't want any trouble."

Slowly, Yami managed to jerk his head in agreement. The slime driver looked relieved before squishing and squelching back to his seat.

Yami turned slowly towards the two teenagers sitting in his seat. He waited and remained silent until the driver started the bus again before breathing a loud, "What the fuck!"

Mariku sniggered at this, lavender eyes gleaming, "Yami is funny... for a mortal..."

The orphan was silent and uncharacteristically pale, "I don't understand... What? I... don't... huh?" He trailed off, looking helpless and desolate. He hated being confused and in the dark, but now he had absolutely no idea what was going on. It left him feeling afraid and vulnerable. Not a state he particularly appreciated being in.

Bakura, seeming to take a shred of pity on the confused orphan, placed himself in the seat across from Yami. "Welcome to Teratos High." He grimaced, seemingly not liking the name. His fangs, suddenly looking far more real to Yami than they would've moments ago, gleamed silver against the darkened windows, "You need a basic lesson on the Greek language to understand the simple mindset of our first principal."

Mariku nodded fervently, but Yami wasn't paying attention. He was far to busy trying to process what he'd just seen.

He wasn't having much luck.

Bakura and Mariku both picked up the faint, but telltale, traces of pure terror coming from their companion and paused to take a good look at the human. What they saw made them instantly feel bad. Yami was huddled as close to the window as he could get without merging with it, his eyes were wide and terrified as they stopped and more students got on board, one arm was wrapped protectively around his waist and the other hand at his throat in an instinctive gesture both had seen hundreds of times, and he'd gone as white as a ghost under his tan.

In short, he looked pathetic.

Bakura swore softly. Even an untrained cub would be able to tell the human was in shock, and if left alone would probably either go catatonic or try to run screaming from the bus. (And he well knew that either option was potentially fatal for a variety of reasons) Clearly, whatever the rest of his story was, Yami had not been prepared for Teratos and what that meant. Normally, that wouldn't bother him any, and would probably provide him and Mariku with hours of entertainment, but then most humans didn't have much of a backbone to begin with, couldn't trade insults with him without batting an eye, and couldn't wrench themselves from Mariku's grasp once he'd gotten a hold of them.

He hated to admit it, but he kind of liked the surly human.

Glancing at his best friend he saw his own thoughts reflected in uncharacteristically solemn lavender eyes. He arched an eyebrow in silent query. The other mulled it over for a moment before meeting Bakura's eyes with steely determination. Bakura grinned, nodded, and jabbed his thumb at the empty seat behind them. Without a moment's hesitation Mariku leapt up onto the seat, and in a display of agility no human could ever hope to match, vaulted over the back and into the seat behind them leaving Bakura and Yami alone.

"Well, I'll give you a hint on what 'Teratos' means." Bakura commented eager to distract his new friend from wherever his thoughts were, "It starts with an 'M' and ends with an 'Onster'." He shrugged, "A stupid name if you ask me, but that's a ghoul for you. No imagination whatsoever."

Bakura snickered as Yami blinked slowly and gave him a look that was borderline cross-eyed, "No joke. I once saw a ghoul try to ask a girl out. She fell asleep before he got through admitting he liked her!"

Yami snorted a laugh, "I've gone mad haven't I?"

Bakura laughed relieved that the human's fear had dissipated and been replaced with a kind of fatalistic acceptance, "No, but you'll probably wish you were by the time the day's out." He smirked and jerked a thumb at Mariku, "Mariku's syntax alone is enough to drive someone around the bend."

Yami choked on a laugh as Mariku growled indignantly and aimed a blow at Bakura's head. He was still convinced he was either dreaming or nuts, but for now he figured he'd just go along with it. At least it was entertaining, and a cut above his normally boring life.

He shook his head as his two companions tussled, a smirk forming at the corners of his mouth unconsciously. Definitely entertaining.

"So what are you two anyway?" He asked curiously. Might as well find out what he was really dealing with...

Bakura's eyes gleamed and he smirked pleased at Yami's return to relative normalcy, "Why do you want to know?"

Yami eyed them warily, "'Cause I'm not interested in getting gnawed on if I can avoid it."

Mariku laughed at Yami's words and the smirk never drifted from Bakura's face. "Isn't that funny?" Bakura asked Mariku. The insane blond giggled and nodded his head in agreement. Yami frowned, "What's funny?"

"You think Mariku and Bakura are dangerous!" Mariku snorted between bursts of laughter.

Yami frowned, "Well aren't you?"

Bakura's smirk widened, "Of course we are!" He snickered, "But humans are the most destructive creatures ever to plague this earth!"

Yami rolled his eyes, "Tell me something I don't know why don't you?"

Bakura opened his mouth, presumably to retort, but was interrupted when the bus lurched to a halt to let on more students. Noting Yami's curious gaze he sat back and let the human look at the beings he'd been taught all his life were mythical.

The bus was beginning to fill up now, and Yami found himself able to pick out the differences that made the students at Teratos High odd. Some were too hairy, some were too slimy, and some were too pointy. There were students who looked perfectly normal but had grown tusks, wings, or claws. Some even came on the bus, scaly with an amphibian tail and a bottle of salt water they'd use to keep themselves hydrated.

Yami was intrigued.

They certainly didn't seem like the terrifying monsters of legend. In fact, as several of them met up with friends or jockeyed for seats, they seemed like normal people. Some were loud, some weren't, some read, some played music... It was like every other bus full of people Yami had ever seen. Granted, they all had one or more features that made them stand out in a crowd, but Yami could hardly complain about that. Not with his eyes and hair.

Still, something within him was urging him not to drop his guard, and he was in complete agreement with that desire. After all, normal seeming or not, these were still creatures of legend. Powerful, magical, and probably capable of kicking his ass without much thought or effort. Great. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose feeling a royal headache coming on.

Feeling his cd case slide against his thigh reminded Yami that he really ought to put the thing up... Reaching around for his long-forgotten backpack he dropped both player and case inside; absently glancing out the window as he did so.

A moment later he let out a strangled yelp, and Bakura was surprised to find himself nearly shoved out of his seat as Yami propelled himself violently away from the window. Instinctively grabbing hold of his new packmate Bakura peered around Yami to see if he could find what had startled the human so badly. Not seeing anything Bakura glanced at a madly giggling Mariku in confusion. Mariku, unable to speak coherently around his laughter, just pointed out the window. Sudden realization dawned on the white haired boy and he too collapsed in laughter.

The bus had started flying.

"Oh shut up." Yami grumbled at the two some minutes later an unwilling smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as the two continued their cackling. He'd never admit it, but in retrospect, it _had_ been rather funny.

"Yami tried to fly!" Mariku chortled for the umpteenth time. Yami just crossed his arms and sulked; periodically sending Mariku glares across the back of the seat. He kept his back firmly against the window so he wouldn't have to see the nauseating swirl of yellow, green, and purple streaks flashing by, and reminding him that wherever he was he wasn't in normal reality anymore.

Huffing indignantly he eyed Bakura, who'd finally managed to calm down some, "So, what reality or dimension are we heading to now?"

Bakura snickered, "That depends. How much do you know about the divisions of the three worlds and their inhabitants?"

Yami gave him a blank look.

"There are three categories of species which roam this earth," Bakura explained smacking Mariku over the head to shut him up, "And in this earth, there are three separate time lands: Heaven, Middle-earth, and Hell.

Yami frowned, "What does that have to do with inter-dimensional travel?"

Bakura rolled his eyes, "Shut up a minute and I'll tell you."

Yami pouted.

"Now, the Mortal class lives in Middle-earth, The Divine class lives in Heaven, and the Demonic class lives in Hell. I'm sure you could have figured this much out by yourself. The Divine class has several sub-categories: like angels, seers, prophets, and gods. The Mortal class is pretty lame because it only deals with regular old human with an occasional individual who decides to tempt fate. The Demonic class is the best," Bakura's chest swelled with pride, "The Demonic class has many different sub-categories, which would be what you humans consider 'monsters'."

Mariku propped his feet on a seat, seemingly unaware of the precarious shaking of the bus flying through a rift in the time-space continuum, "Bakura and I fall under the 'Demonic' class."

Yami didn't need them to tell him that to see it obviously himself. "I couldn't guess myself." He said dryly.

"Mariku is a pure vampire" Bakura glanced at Yami, "That means all he does is suck blood."

Yami frowned in confusion, "Is there a difference between vampires?"

Mariku snarled and huffed in annoyance. "Of course there is!" He snapped, clearly offended. "That's like saying all Asians are Japanese, or all Hispanics are Mexican!"

"Well excuse me for not knowing the difference!" Yami snapped in aggravation, "It's not like they go out of their way to teach us these things in 'human' school!"

Mariku just crossed his arms and began to sulk, so Bakura continued the explanation.

"I mentioned that there are sub-categories in the Demonic and Divine class right? Well, for the sub-categories in the Demonic class, there are sub-categories for them too." He said, "For instance, you can be a Demon who is a vampire; but depending on where you were created, you could become an incubus, who is a 'vampire' that sucks the life out of a being and thrives on sex. Or you could become a pocket vampire, or a bat shifter and communicator. There are many different versions of vampires; Mariku is just a plain vampire."

Yami nodded slowly, it was beginning to make sense. "And you are?"

Bakura shrugged, "I'm a Shape shifter, class beast, type Chimera."

The orphan's mind swam, "And what does that mean?"

Bakura's garnet eyes shut for a moment, thinking how he could go about explaining this new hurdle, "It's hard to put in plain words, but I'll try." He muttered, "Basically in simple terms, I can change my form into a winged beast called a Chimera."

"Okay, that makes sense. Does that make you like a werewolf?" He asked as the bus began to slow down. His instincts told him that they were nearing the end of their journey, and Teratos High would soon be in sight.

Bakura snorted, "Hell no!" He shook his head at Yami's uncomprehending look, "Werewolves are a bit... temperamental, and they get on your nerves..." Bakura growled. Clearly, he was thinking about someone in particular.

"How does that make them any different than you?" Yami snorted, a tiny smirk playing on his face. Despite his screaming and frayed nerves, the orphan was beginning to become comfortable with these two teenagers, strange as they were.

Bakura snorted and pushed Yami's shoulder, "Shut up." He growled, amused. "Werewolves have no control over themselves when they transform completely, although they are able to change whenever they feel like it."

"No howling at the full moon then?"

"Oh please, Harry Potter has the story all wrong." Mariku grumbled from the back seat.

"But they like to howl anyway." Bakura added, "It can get really annoying..." Once again, the shape-shifter seemed to be thinking of someone in particular. Yami smothered a snicker.

The bus came to a halt, and Yami, along with everyone else, fumbled around for his things quickly. He had barely noticed the bus rolling to a stop, and in his haste, failed to glimpse the school. He snatched his CD player from Mariku - who had somehow stolen it and been entertaining himself for several minutes by pressing the play/pause button repetitive times - and stuffed it in his bag.

The students all stood up, waiting impatiently for them to be allowed out of the bus. Yami joined the throng of warm (and sometimes cold) bodies a little apprehensively. Maybe Mariku and Bakura weren't so bad, but he wasn't nearly so confident about the rest of the Teratos population.

"Don't worry." Mariku said cheerfully, "No one will eat you... probably..."

Yami glared at him his headache returning full force, "Gee, thanks."

"Anytime!" The vampire chirped giving the human a toothy grin. Yami just rolled his eyes and stepped off the bus.

He was unprepared for the sight that awaited him.


	5. Sad, isn't it?

_**This chapter was murder. Kytrin and I discussed this chapter from EVERY angle. WARNING: There is LEMON in this chapter. It's not between the main pairing, but it makes sense. I swear!  
**_

_**Enjoy the reading material people!**_

_**--::--**_

The orphan glanced up at the school speechlessly. Teratos High wasn't really a school, but more like a 16th century castle. Black stones, placed carefully on top of each other were stacked high in the sky, each a forbidding shade of onyx. Dark spirals of smoky marble stabbed at the night sky, breaking through thin, wispy clouds which allowed a sliver of moonlight to filter downwards. Yami was astonished; the school was beautiful... in that slightly creepy sixteenth century gothic kind of way...

"I thought we left at daybreak..." Yami murmured, glancing over at Bakura, "Were we riding all day?"

Bakura snorted and broke into a fit of laughs. Yami glared at him while waiting impatiently for the chimera to control himself. Eventually, Bakura managed to control himself long enough to answer Yami's query, "It's always night time over here..." He exhaled, sucking in a new breathe, "That's why it's such a great school for all types of Classes. Vampires don't explode in flames when they step out into the sun, but they can get some really nasty burns if they aren't careful." He chuckled, "'were we riding all day?'... really now..."

Yami, slightly annoyed now, stomped forward, "Where's the front..." He glanced up at the castle-like cathedral. Or whatever you were supposed to call this, " ...office...?"

Bakura pointed towards the large wooden door, "If you walk through there, you'll see a mausoleum with an inscription of Hades etched in its marble. Next to it are glass double doors. Go through those and you'll be in the front office. You can't miss it, it's a completely glass room."

Yami arched and eyebrow at that but nodded, "Thanks." He said lazily. Yami paused, and turned towards the two still demons, "Really," He said sincerely, "Thank you."

Bakura shrugged and averted his eyes, "No problem." He replied gruffly. Yami smiled softly, and for the first time in five years, it was directed at someone other than Leo.

He turned resolutely towards the front doors, but hadn't taken three steps when he was called back by Mariku and Bakura, "Wait!" Mariku shouted, catching up to Yami, "We forgot to mention this to you..."

Yami quirked an eyebrow, "What?"

"Whatever you do," Mariku breathed, "Don't ever go into the mausoleum."

Yami frowned, "Don't worry, I won't." He replied truthfully. Yami never had the intention of ever stepping foot in a crypt in his life before, and that fact wasn't about to change now. But now he just had to ask, "Out of curiosity... Why not?"

Mariku grimaced and shook his head, "Just don't..." He muttered, "And pray you never find out."

Before Yami could press the teenager for further details, the vampire had turned around and walked off with Bakura.

Gulping slightly, a sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach, Yami turned once again towards the front doors and cautiously stepped inside Teratos High. If the orphan had been surprised when he saw the outside; he was even more shocked to see the inside. Large, brick archways had been curved up around the doorway. Black tiled floors were covered in thick velvet carpets. Torches lit the corridors and tall windows which framed every hallway allowed moonlight from outside to shimmer through and cast blue shadows in the corridors. The castle was cold, but strangely, it was also warm at the same time. There was a strange feeling in the air; like a crackling electricity that could not be stopped or contained.

The sensation was enough to make his skin crawl. Nervously Yami ran a hand through his black and red hair, and tugged on one of his long blond bangs in mild irritation.

He walked down the front hallway, alone in the dark entrance. Yami cringed; Teratos High was definitely not visitor friendly. At that moment a loud, guttural shriek echoed from the stone mausoleum, effectively snapping the orphan from his anxious thoughts. Heart racing he spun towards the entrance of the mausoleum. The thing inside the crypt gave a longing, mournful howl; as though aching to get near Yami. He could not tell if it was from the urge for his blood, or if it was lonely. He wasn't really inclined to find out either.

Instead he slowly backed away from the mausoleum entrance half afraid that whatever it was that could produce such a howl would come crashing through the doors to get to him. Taking a few deep breaths he tried to calm his frayed nerves, and resisted the urge to thump his head against the nearest wall. At this rate he'd have a fucking heart attack by third period. What had he done to deserve this? Surely exploding lawnmowers weren't that bad...

Were they?

After a moment of gathering his wits he continued down the corridor and felt acute relief when he spotted a brilliantly lit, glass room. He peered inside curiously. There, unclothed and towering at a frightening height of approximately eight foot five inches, was a huge woman with a snake tail for legs slithering around the floor. She bathed in the artificial heat the glass room provided, a black forked tongue flicked out into the dry air every three seconds.

"A Naga..." Yami breathed in amazement fighting back an automatic blush at her lack of clothing, and the ludicrous urge to run up and tap on the glass. He was fairly sure that would be a fast way to get killed around here. Hesitantly, he pushed through the hot glass double doors and stepped into the front office. Immediately, a wave of hot air hit Yami with the force of a three-ton boulder. His brow and neck immediately began to perspire prompting him to tug at the collar of his shirt in a rather futile effort to cool off.

"Ah... Yami Sobek, we've been expecting you." A voice said cheerfully causing Yami to nearly jump out of his skin. Whirling around he found himself face to face with another Naga. Before he could gather his wits her tongue flicked out and touched her nose causing Yami to lose his train of thought in favor of staring at the distracting object in complete fascination.

"Really...?" Yami asked distractedly, and managed, somehow, to tear his gaze away from the tongue and to the woman's milky retinas, "So...?"

She smiled, showing off her wickedly curved fangs, "Well," She hissed, "You have eight classes a day, and they're fairly short." Yami nodded to show that he was following along, "You'll have B lunch right after history..." She trailed off and rifled through a folder and withdrew a crisp sheet of parchment with Yami's schedule written neatly on it. Yami glanced over the schedule and found that it met his standards. All his classes from his previous schools matched up with the curriculum at Teratos. It was comforting to know that some things never changed. Granted he had more classes than usual, but it was a nice change from the four hour and a half classes that turned one's mind into mush.

Unfortunately, his appreciation was somewhat short lived. His first class of the day was Math. Yami cringed and felt like vomiting. Math confused him all to hell, and it was just his luck that he'd have the worst class possible first thing in the morning. He sighed in resignation, thanked the nice serpent ladies, and trudged unwillingly to his first class.

By now other students were milling around in the hallways as he made his way to his first class, and Yami made it a point to keep his crimson eyes glued to the floor. Bakura and Mariku's assurances or not, he really had no desire to become anyone's brunch, and the sight of all those sharp pointy fangs and claws was more than enough to give him the creeps.

For a while the orphan kept walking, not really knowing where the hell he was going. He had never gone to this school before, so he had no idea where any of his classes were. Nor, upon inspection, could he find anything that resembled a map to orient himself with. Troubled, Yami kept up a steady pace, walking until he reached, what he thought was, the center of the castle.

"I'm definitely lost.." He muttered, feeling completely embarrassed, and decided maybe retracing his steps would be a good idea.

He had turned halfway around, thinking to turn back and ask for directions in the hot box, when a multitude of different colors caught his eye. Mystified over what could have caused such a change against the black of Teratos Yami twisted around fully to look.

A large, stained glass window stood tall before him. Thousands of colors were seeped into the surface of the stunning mosaic. It was a picture of a woman, breathtakingly beautiful, and bleeding from her bosom. Black leathery wings, broken and crumpled, grew from her pale back, and Yami was struck with a sense of profound loss. She seemed so forlorn, and was so obviously dying in agony. The woman held a hand out beseechingly, and almost appeared to be trying to pull someone towards her. A pang of unknown guilt stabbed through Yami's heart, he seemed to have remembered the woman... It was as though Yami had known her all his life. Yami shook his head against the odd feeling and looked at who the woman was calling to her. It was a man, with narrowed crimson eyes and black hair. He seemed to look sorrowfully at the woman before turning and forsaking her.

Yami's mouth dropped open as his previous feeling of familiarity slamming into him again. It was as though they were characters from a book he had read long ago, or in a dream he had long since forgotten, but was sure he would be able to remember in detail if he tried.

"Sad, isn't it?" A voice behind him asked.

Yami spun around on the heel of his foot, having been unaware that someone was there with him. A boy about a year younger than him stood with his arms crossed. He had black and violet tresses with blond bangs pushing out from under the thick mass of spiky hair. Much like Yami's own hair actually...

He was wearing an interesting combination of leather boots, black jeans, and a loose short sleeved shirt of a lovely royal blue; all of which was accented by leather belts, wrist cuffs, a collar, and oddly enough, a single gold stud in one of his ears. Two identical bat-wings sprouted from his back with two tapered ears revealing his demonic heritage. (though how those wings worked around the shirt Yami had no idea)

Violet eyes were fastened on the window, not even glancing at Yami. From his angle, Yami could barely make out two tiny fangs protruding from the boy's lip. He wondered suddenly if the boy was a vampire.

"What is?" He asked slowly trying to remember the demon boy's question.

"The mosaic." The boy said simply.

The orphan frowned, "Well I figured that much out." He said flatly, "But what makes it so sad?" He paused, "Beyond the obvious that is."

The demon looked at Yami appraisingly, a spark of recognition flickered through his gem-like eyes. Yami met his gaze curiously. Did he know this demon?

"She was my creator." The demon said slowly. Yami wasn't sure what that meant, so he stayed quiet and returned the boy's gaze inquiringly hopeful that he would be given more of an explanation than that. Unfortunately, the demon just looked back at the window. Even then, Yami found himself watching the boy an odd emotion swirling in his gut. The demon really was very good looking... Shaking his head, and wondering where the random thought had come from, Yami refocused on the conversation at hand.

"That means nothing to me." The orphan admitted finally. The demon whipped his head towards Yami looking both very angry and shocked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded hotly. His small fangs were bared in a snarl. Yami shrugged and turned back towards to window trying not to show his nervousness at the angry display.

"Nothing! I just meant I don't know what a 'creator' is, and I don't know how it relates to this window! That's all!" He exclaimed defensively, "Don't have a litter of kittens over it." He grumbled, mostly to himself, in an afterthought.

The boy gaped at Yami disbelief written over every feature. Whether that was from his comment or his lack of knowledge Yami wasn't sure, "What did you say?" The boy growled dangerously.

Yami rolled his eyes suddenly very tired of walking on damn eggshells just because his so called classmates weren't human. It wasn't his fault he was human and didn't know how things worked around here... and why exactly was he scared of them anyway?

Sure they had claws and fangs and crap, but he'd been adopted by 'humans' that were more monster than anything he'd seen out of these people yet. Maybe these people were a little stranger looking, and apparently offended easy, but fuck he knew humans just as oddball... hell he was one. Chuckling a little at the thought Yami decided it was time these 'demons' learned that not all humans would just take what they had to dish out without throwing any back.

And, he decided with a purely mental grin, he would start with the pms-ing demon boy next to him.

He firmly shoved the knowledge that the boy could probably kill him with whatever demonic attributes he had into the back of his mind.

"You heard me." He eyed the boy out of the corner of his eye mischievously, "Unless, I was wrong about all you demons having good hearing? That's a possibility you know. Demonic lore is sketchy at best where I'm from." He smirked fully at the boy, "But of course, I'm sure I'm sure someone as apparently smart as you are has long since figured out that bit of information."

The boy looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel. Privately, Yami thought him rather cute, in a weird, dangerous sort of way, when he was all flushed and breathing hard like that.

"You... you..."

"Actually my name is Yami."

"You!"

"You said that already. Twice as a matter of fact."

"Hah! I told you he could hold his own!" A familiar voice crowed. Yami looked up and grinned at the sight of Bakura and Mariku, demented smiles and all, weaving their way through the crowd. The chimera draped an arm over Yami's shoulders and gave him an appraising look.

"Causing trouble already huh? Mariku and I are so proud!"

Yami rolled his eyes, "Whatever. I got lost if you must know."

"Ah." The chimera nodded, "Yeah, that's believable. They don't like to keep maps in the office. Have a habit of bursting into flame after a while you know."

Yami groaned, "Figures."

"Where were you headed?"

Yami glanced at his schedule, "Mr. Chiron for math." All three demons winced and Bakura and Mariku both gave Yami apologetic looks, "I'm sorry..."

"What?" The orphan asked, "Is he bad?"

"No it's not the teacher!" Bakura assured him hurriedly, "He's actually a nice guy. But... well, you would do better to see for yourself..."

Yami blinked at him and shrugged, "Okay..."

Bakura just chuckled and turned his attention to the still fuming demon, "What's going on here anyway? It takes skill to piss you off this badly Yugi."

Yugi scowled at the chimera and crossing his arms in a huff pointedly turned back to the mosaic. Now very curious both chimera and vampire turned to Yami who just shrugged again.

"When I got lost I spotted this window and came over to have a look. He shows up and starts babbling something about a creator, which I don't understand the meaning of, and when I tell him that he gets his panties in a twist over it."

Bakura and Mariku blinked at the smirking human and collapsed into roars of uncontrolled laughter.

"Oh! I knew I liked him!" Bakura choked out and gave Yugi an evil grin, "I think you've met your match Yugi!"

Yugi just rolled his eyes and turned pointedly away again mumbling something Yami couldn't catch under his breath as he did. This set the two other demons off again. After a long minute Bakura was able to get himself back under enough control to speak coherently again, and promptly draped his arm back around Yami's shoulders.

"Are you familiar with the concept of a Sire in vampire and werewolf lore?" He asked before Yami could protest. Caught off guard the human blinked and nodded cautiously.

Bakura nodded and moved to perch on the small windowsill, "Well, a creator is the same general concept. This woman, " He jerked his thumb at the window, "Is Yugi's. Technically."

A look of enlightenment dawned across Yami's face before he frowned in confusion again, "Technically?"

Bakura nodded again, "Yeah. Her name was Queen Fantasia. She was one of the greatest rulers our people have ever known. Unfortunately, she was killed several centuries ago by a human. Or so they say." He nodded at Yugi, who was watching Yami's reactions with an unreadable expression, "It was her blood that turned Yugi into the incubus we all know and love today. That makes her his creator. But she died long before it happened, so it wasn't a normal turning."

Yami nodded in understanding. That made sense. Sorta. Abruptly another thought struck him, "Incubus? Didn't you say they..."

"...Exist off sex?" Yugi cut him off angrily, "Why yes it does! What a clever boy! Someone give him a cookie!" He glared murderously at Yami, "Call me the school whore! I dare you!" He challenged.

Mariku and Bakura exchanged worried glances at the outburst. Yugi had always been touchy about his status as a sex demon, but in all the years they'd been part of the little vampire's clan they'd never seen him like this. Had something happened over the summer they weren't aware of?

"I wasn't going to say that!" Yami protested hotly unaware of the undercurrents around him, "For crying out loud!" He shouted, finally at the end of his rope, "Would it fucking kill you to stop jumping to conclusions all the damn time? And maybe get off my fucking case in the process!"

Yugi glared at him suspiciously before crossing his arms in annoyance, "Then what were you going to say?" He demanded.

Oh yes, something had definitely happened.

Yami rolled his eyes in exasperation, "I was asking you if you were a type of vampire your defensiveness. Geez..."

Yugi blushed in embarrassment, "Oh. Yes, I am..."

Bakura and Mariku's eyes met and a silent decision was reached. Nodding fractionally Mariku grabbed Yami's arm, effectively distracting the human from doing or saying anything else, and jerked his other thumb down one of the corridors.

"Come on." He declared with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes and mask the worry, "The warning bell is about to ring. My class isn't far from yours, so I'll show you how to get there."

Yami blinked as the vampire dragged him off, "What happened to you talking in the third person?"

Mariku giggled, "Oh, Mariku only does that when Mariku wants to play! It scares the prey!"

Bakura snickered as Yami's sarcastic retort drifted around the corridor. He definitely liked this human. As soon as they were gone he turned sharp eyes on Yugi and without a word dragged him, protesting and angry, into an empty classroom where he promptly locked the door and muttered a spell to mute the sound so no one could hear them.

"Alright Yugi, I want to know what in the hell is going on." He growled before Yugi could say anything, "And don't bother lying. We both know I'm more than old enough to detect it."

The vampire started in surprise before glaring at the chimera, "I don't know what you're talking about." He huffed arms crossing and wings curling around himself protectively.

Bakura sighed, "Yugi... you're lying. You know it and I know it. You lost it out there. That's not like you. Now, what happened? I know Yami was needling you a little, but that alone wouldn't've been enough to piss you off that badly."

"He did it on purpose!" Yugi snapped suddenly outrage clear in his voice.

Bakura stared at him in confusion, "Did what?"

"And you helped him!" The incubus continued, ignoring the other's question, his outrage so immense he'd actually begun pacing.

Bakura reached over and grabbed his friend and packmate by the shoulders inadvertently giving him a little shake in the process, "Yugi! What the hell are you talking about? What did Yami do? And how did I help him? I don't understand."

"I've met your dear Yami before." The incubus ground out fury clear in his voice, "Yesterday in fact."

Bakura gaped at him, "What?"

Yugi favored him with another glare, which considering how angry the vampire was at the moment, was rather formidable, "You heard me." He snapped shrugging Bakura's hands off him and taking a step back, "I watched him take out two mud trolls with his bare hands as night was falling. Took them out Bakura! As in badly enough they retreated into their human forms to get away! And then he waltzes in here and has the gall to act like he doesn't know anything about our world, and insult my creator on top of that?"

Yugi's wings shook under the force of his rage, "And you helped him!"

Bakura stared at him in complete shock. Two mud trolls? Granted mud trolls weren't the strongest of demons or anything, he could've taken them out without much effort, but no human should've been able to stand up to them let alone do what Yugi claimed. His eyes narrowed. Something wasn't adding up here.

"This doesn't make sense." He murmured in a voice that held no accusation and much reflection.

"What doesn't?" Yugi snapped, "It seems clear enough to me!"

Bakura glared at him.

"First of all, cub, you should know that I would never insult Fantasia in front of you." He held up his hand as Yugi opened his mouth, "Shut up and listen. I wouldn't. Even if I didn't like Fantasia for some reason, which we both know isn't true, we are clan. And you should know by now that clan do not do that to each other." He leveled a fierce look at the vampire, "And even if we weren't I wouldn't be so stupid as to insult her only child. Any idiot knows that even though the bond between you never formed properly in the first place you are still protective of her, and your strength, when fully fed, is more than enough to put any fool who steps out of line into place."

His eyes narrowed, "Furthermore, despite the unusual situation with the mud trolls, there is little doubt in my mind that Yami is not only fully human he is as ignorant of our culture as he claims." He shook his head, "No one who had even an inkling that we truly existed would have reacted the way he did on the bus."

"How did he react?" A thoroughly taken aback Yugi whispered.

Bakura sighed and looked out the window, "He was terrified. If Mariku and I hadn't been there he would've gone into shock, and you know what that would've meant if anyone else had discovered him."

Yugi shuddered. He did know.

"He wasn't prepared for us." Bakura continued, "At all. He had no idea what was happening to him or why, and quite frankly thought he was going mad." A smirk flitted across his face, "He probably still does; which would explain why he wasn't cowering in a corner when you got pissy."

He glanced at the now blushing and very ashamed looking vampire.

"Speaking of which... why exactly did you get so angry over his ignorance? I know what he said was insulting, but it wasn't horribly so as insults go. And you're usually much more level headed than that... " The chimera cocked his head considering at the uncomfortable looking vampire, "Unless it had something to do with those trolls?"

Yugi winced.

Bakura smirked.

"He saved me." The incubus admitted finally disgust and defeat coloring his tone, "I don't think he realizes the boy he saved and I are the same, but those mud trolls were after me." He trailed off scowling at a spot somewhere to Bakura's left.

Enlightenment dawned in Bakura's mind, and he wordlessly pulled his friend and clansmen into a tight hug. He didn't ask why the mud trolls had gone after Yugi. It was obvious. Mud trolls were ruled primarily by their baser instincts, and there was only one thing they would've wanted from an incubus. Nor did he tell Yugi he would be avenged for it. For one, it would've further insulted his already wounded pride. (It was bad enough he'd been rescued by a human.) And for two, Yugi already knew it.

Besides, there was something more important to worry about...

"When was the last time you fed?" The chimera murmured into Yugi's ear.

Yugi shivered at the feeling of warm breath in his ear, "Since the last time with you and Mariku..." He mumbled.

Bakura pulled away in surprise, "What? Yugi that was over four months ago!"

Yugi cringed a little, "Yeah but..."

"But nothing! I know I was gone, but why weren't you feeding off Mariku?"

"Because Mariku was in New York with Isis and Shadi over the summer!" Yugi shot back, "That's why! And don't start on Seto and Joey. They are fully bonded mates, and there is no room for me in that equation."

Bakura snapped his mouth shut. It was true. A fully bonded demon had no sexual attraction for anyone other than their mate or mates. Even if they'd been willing to include Yugi in their activities, he shivered in revulsion at the very thought of what those two did together, it would've been poor fare for the vampire. And he already knew Yugi wouldn't simply go hunting as so many of his brethren did. Fortunately, the problem was fixable. After all, he might not be the vampire's mate, but Yugi, like most sex demons, was hot enough to stir even a zombie's interest. Bakura had never had a problem giving his little clansmen what he needed to survive, and now would be no different.

His lips pulled back into a seductive smirk and he leaned back in to nuzzle Yugi's neck, "Well, I'm here now..." He purred running his tongue up Yugi's neck to lightly nibble on his ear.

Yugi sucked in a breath and shuddered. Damn it felt so good! The chimera chuckled and pulled him closer his hands running lightly over his back and sides as he lightly ground their hips together proving to Yugi that his interest was not faked. The incubus groaned at the sensation his body immediately reacting to the light stimulus.

"Bakura..." He gasped his breathing already ragged. Whether it was a protest or a plea he had no idea.

"What?" The chimera purred one hand snaking down to grab Yugi's already aching erection, "What is it you want?" He squeezed, "Do you want me to do something with this?"

Yugi whimpered and tried to suppress his instincts. He hated feeding off his clansmen. He always felt like he was using them when he did. But it had been so long... and Bakura was so good! He gave a surprised cry when Bakura deftly unbuttoned his jeans and shoved them and his boxers down to his knees.

In a single fluid motion Bakura dropped to his knees and swallowed Yugi to the hilt sucking hard. Yugi nearly screamed in pleasure as he was engulfed in that hot wet cavern. His hands immediately twining into Bakura's hair as the other sucked and licked expertly the light scrape of his fangs only heightening the sensation. Yes! This was what he needed! This right here! This was what he'd been wanting and craving for so long.

The sensation of flesh against flesh. Of heat, and wet, and tightness. He'd wanted it. Craved it desperately. But had denied himself. Why that was he couldn't remember at the moment, and he really didn't care. All that mattered was what Bakura was doing with his tongue, and the ever increasing pleasure it brought. He nearly howled when Bakura swallowed him whole again and began humming around his engorged flesh.

Bakura smirked as he was roughly pulled away and found himself face to face with a frenzied Yugi. It really had been too long for his poor friend if he'd already given in to his need. And give in he had. The vampire's eyes were clouded and glowing a bright purple that reflected nothing, but wild, desperate need. With a growl Yugi pulled him into a deep sensual kiss his tongue teasing Bakura's into a duel that melted the chimera's brain.

He was only vaguely aware of their wild tugging at clothes, or being shoved gently to the floor where Yugi straddled him. All he cared about was the intoxicating scent of his lover, and the delicious sensation of Yugi's hands and tongue teasing and tracing every inch of him until he was as wild for release as the vampire. He didn't even notice his legs being spread until Yugi was nibbling the insides of Bakura's thighs.

"Now wait a sec..." He gasped breathlessly, "Who said you get to be on top?"

"I do." Yugi growled his voice soft, and dangerous. It sent delightful shivers up and down Bakura's spine, and he couldn't help a chuckle.

"Something funny?" The incubus inquired arching an eyebrow.

The chimera just shook his head and grinned pulling the smaller male closer, "No. You're just so sexy when you're being dangerous."

Yugi smirked and leaned over to playfully nip at Bakura's nose. Bakura snickered and crossed his eyes at the demon. Yugi laughed as he pulled away and settled in between Bakura's thighs. The chimera watched in anticipation as Yugi sucked three fingers into his mouth his eyes never leaving Bakura's as he slowly coated them, and Bakura spared a moment of thanks to whatever higher powers watched over him that his lover was an incubus. They naturally produced a venom in their saliva when they were aroused that could either be a pain killing lubricant, or (when injected into the bloodstream) could force an unwilling victim to fall under their seductive spell.

Bakura was anything but unwilling.

The sensation of a single finger slipping inside him teasingly, and an equally teasing tongue lapping at the head of his weeping cock pulled him away from his thoughts with a wanton groan. Yugi purred approvingly and swiftly inserted a second and third finger stretching him impatiently.

"Gods Yugi... get on with it already."

The incubus' eyes flashed brighter for a moment, and with a growl swiftly coated himself and plunged into his lover to the hilt. A pleasured sigh escaped him. It had been too long... He closed his eyes for a moment just savoring the sensation and the wonderful sexual energy radiating from his partner. It tasted heavenly. Wanting more of that taste Yugi began thrusting slowly automatically angling his hips to find that spot within Bakura that would drive him wild.

"Fuck! Yugi!"

Bingo.

Yugi grinned ferally, his control gone, and began a bruising pace. He'd waited long enough for his release. He watched in fevered fascination as Bakura's cinnamon eyes glowed red in the dim lighting. His lover was close. Leaning forward he captured those gasping, snarling lips in a desperate kiss and wildly caressed every inch of the chimera he could reach; their bodies moving sensually as he greedily drank in every erotic drop of energy the chimera offered him.

Bakura whined and whimpered as Yugi licked and nibbled his bared neck. It was too much and not enough at the same time. He was dangling on the edge of a cliff, and was certain he would fall soon. He just needed a little more. Suddenly a rough hand closed around his erection and began stroking harshly in time with the movements inside him, and all at once it became too much. His vision went white as he roared his completion to the heavens.

"Your class is over here." Mariku said jerking his thumb at an earthy brown door, "This is Mr. Chiron's room." He waved his tan hand at the door, gesturing to small tufts of moss that jutted from the hinges, his apologetic smile returned to his face, "See if you can get someone to lead you to your next class. I would, but mine's on the other side of the castle from yours, and I don't want to be caught by the hall monitors, a lot of them are really nasty."

"What are the hall monitors?" Yami asked curiously.

"Miniature Lupines and goblins."

Right on cue, a howl broke through the silence and several students from inside the many classrooms tittered and snickered.

"Ah, looks like they found us." Mariku smiled broadly, "I better go, those little buggers bite hard!"

Yami nodded dumbly, not willing to find out what the little buggers bit so hard. He watched Mariku's retreating back, amused at the way the vampire ran with light feet. He was sure the wolf things had a zero chance of catching him...

He yanked the door open, and stepped in, just missing a black and white blur pass his classroom. He stared, shocked. That wolf was not miniature in the slightest bit. If that was considered tiny, Yami would hate to go toe-to-toe with a full blown werewolf. He breathed a sigh of relief, his back pressed flat against the earthy door. When he finally pulled his senses together, he realized that he had accidentally stepped into a forest.

Or what appeared to be a forest, Yami could still see the high black ceiling peeking out from under a wild girth of vegetation.

"Mr. Sobek, please sit down and join us..." A serene voice commented from somewhere along the green wall. Upon closer examination, Yami saw the teacher standing in a row amongst what appeared to be elves, pans and fairies. Mr. Chiron was tan and shirtless, with a lean torso and strong arms. His back curved into a horses' body, black glistening hooves disappeared in the spongy forest floor as he paced and lectured. Two small horns protruded from his curly mass of brown hair, and his gentle gray eyes followed Yami as he took his place on a moss covered tree-log.

"We were just beginning to cover our basic algebra." He said in such a soft whisper, Yami had to lean in to catch what he was saying, "Direct your attention to the board please..."

Yami squinted, unable to make out the board, it having been covered in so many ferns and greenery, it was camouflaged, "Where is it?" He grunted, rocking sideways in his seat to try and make it out. The class tittered and laughed.

"You're facing the wrong way Mr. Sobek." Mr. Chiron said gently. Yami flushed in embarrassment and turned in his seat, "Sorry." He mumbled. There, big and white, was a dry erase board. It was something so normal, so human, so utterly out of place in this strange magical school Yami couldn't help but find it comforting.

"It's alright." Mr. Chiron said solemnly, "Ms. Anzu here did the same thing when she first came in." A girl blushed in embarrassment, and flapped her black wings in irritation.

"I did not make a stupid mistake like that nauseating human!" Anzu snapped, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder, "Don't put me in the same category with a brainless lump like him!" She shouted shrilly. Yami now understood why the others had cringed. She was enough to drive anyone around the bend. A pity too. Anzu, a succubus he thought from her similar racial features to Yugi, would have been beautiful were not for the permanent stick shoved up her ass and the constant scowl on her face. Must be a sex demon thing...

"Sorry." He snarled, crimson eyes flashing, "But sitting the wrong way doesn't make you stupid."

She turned towards Yami, blue eyes looking at him in haughty contempt, "But being a human does." She sneered.

Yami arched a bored eyebrow, "That is the most ignorant thing I've ever had the misfortune of hearing."

"And your face is the worst thing I've ever had the misfortune of seeing."

"Tell me... is there some sort of rule in the sex demon handbook that you all have to be pms-ing bastards?"

Mr. Chiron walked calmly towards the two bickering students and halted between them, "Children... we're in the midst of a lesson." Yami's fiery stare met the centaur's tranquil gaze defiantly. Mr. Chiron simply stared back calmly until the orphan grunted and looked away, conceding defeat.

"Yes sir." He muttered under his breath. Anzu just tossed her hair angrily and turned back in her seat, ignoring both of them. Mr. Chiron sighed and returned to his lesson, "Square roots and powers..." He continued gently. The teacher waved his hand at the board, magical words appearing on the board, "Please take notes and we'll do a few examples on the board..."

Yami tuned out the rest of the lesson since it was stuff he already knew. Instead, he turned over the information he knew in his head, occasionally turning to shoot an angry glare at Anzu. He already decided he hated her, and Yami was sure the feeling was mutual. Of all reasons not to like a person (specifically Yami), because he was a human...? Yami could think of a million and one reasons why a person shouldn't like him, but Anzu's reason by far was the worst one that had ever been brought to light.

Ryou, Malik, and Leo weren't bad at all...

He absently gathered all the information and sheets Mr. Chiron handed to him and haphazardly shoved them all into his bag. Yami didn't bother keep the sheets nice, because he didn't plan on returning to the school after this day if he could help it.

When a bell clanged loudly throughout the school signifying the end of class, Yami gleefully stood up, flipped Anzu the birdie, and marched out of the class room with a spring to his step.

His good mood deflated once again when he realized that he was still hopelessly lost.

"Now where do I go?" Yami asked no one.

Absently, he decided he'd just do what he always did when he was lost. Close his eyes, spin around in a circle, point in a direction and hope he wasn't aiming at a wall.

When he opened red eyes, Yami found that he was face to face with the concrete wall. Obviously, he was going to have a bit of trouble making it to his next class. He sighed.

It figured.

After what seemed like an eternity Bakura blearily opened his eyes to find an exhausted, and sated, looking Yugi sprawled out on top of him.

"You bastard." The demon hissed without heat. Bakura just chuckled and wrapped his arms around the incubus.

"You love me anyway."

"Whatever." Yugi grumbled his eyes amused and not looking at all inclined to move, "At least you make a decent pillow..." He looked vaguely around for a clock, "How long until our next class?"

Bakura squinted at the blackboard, "About five minutes to the bell. Fifteen to the next period."

Yugi grunted and, after reluctantly pulling himself away from his comfortable pillow and stretching, began looking for his scattered clothes hopeful they hadn't been shredded in his haste to get himself and Bakura naked. Fortunately, they hadn't. He noticed Bakura's admiring, and hungry, gaze and rolled his eyes.

"Forget it. Seto'll have my hide if I miss all my classes."

Bakura snorted, "I doubt that once he finds out what you were doing. Classes can be made up. You actually feeding after so long is much more important."

Yugi sighed defeatedly. Bakura frowned and sitting up pulled the reluctant demon back against his chest, "Please Yugi... none of that. Mariku and I are your clan. We care about you, and we don't want to see you suffer. It's dangerous for you to go so long. You know that."

Yugi nodded miserably, "I know... I just... I feel like I'm using you or something. Just like before..."

Bakura winced. He hated how Yugi compared what he did with him and Mariku to his life before he was turned, but he, and the others, were at a loss over what to do about it. They couldn't give him the love of a mate like he so desperately wanted, but they wouldn't let him to suffer and starve either. It was a situation with only one solution... but finding the one who could give Yugi the answer he needed would take a miracle.

He nuzzled the demon's neck gently in a gesture that was more friendly and comforting than intimate, "I'm sorry." He murmured as he kissed the back of Yugi's neck, "I'm very sorry."

Yugi closed his eyes against the heart wrench the apology brought, "It's alright." He replied even though it wasn't, and wouldn't be, until he'd found and bonded to his mate. An image of Yami's surly face sprang into his mind, and his heart skipped a beat startling him. What? Why on earth would he be thinking of that grouchy human? And why was his heart speeding up at the thought of Yami's smirk and burning red eyes? Oh gods...

No... It couldn't be... Surely not...

Though he did have a delightfully deep voice...

One that would probably sound divine when crying out in ecstasy...

No! He was not attracted to some smart assed human!

He wasn't.

Really.

Yami's wicked smirk danced across his memory again sending a shiver down Yugi's spine.

Stupid human...

Meanwhile, oblivious to his companion's inner thoughts, Bakura began nibbling lightly at Yugi's neck and gently running his hands over the incubus' sides and chest. He knew full well that Yugi wouldn't be sated after one round like that. Not after a four month fast. Fortunately, he was old enough to have developed plenty of stamina, and the vampire's earlier feeding hadn't taken much out of him.

Yugi groaned a little and, after a brief struggle that proved he couldn't get away from the elder demon, cast his mind about for something, anything, to distract him.

"So, uh, why were you and Mariku scent marking that human?"

Why had he asked that of all things?

Bakura paused startled, "I should think that was obvious. He'd be dead meat without scent protection. And he had none at all when we met him. If he'd had that we would've left it alone and talked to you guys first, but there wasn't time." He shrugged, "Besides, Mariku and I like him. He's got a decent backbone for a human, and we like his attitude. He'll make a good addition to the clan if we can earn his trust."

Yugi shrugged uncomfortably, "Oh. I was just curious. I got no problems with it at all."

Wait, had he just sounded jealous?

Behind him Bakura arched a curious eyebrow, "Yugi, are you jealous that I marked him?" He asked in amusement.

Yep. He had.

"No..." He protested weakly.

"You are." Bakura countered chuckling darkly as he leaned close to Yugi's ear, "You want him don't you? He is very attractive."

Yugi squirmed a little not sure if he was angry or embarrassed.

"No, of course not." He huffed trying to sound annoyed.

"I think yes." The chimera purred, "He's strong, he's dangerous, he's courageous, and I'll bet you he's virginal..." He chuckled at Yugi's sharp intake of breath, "So you noticed it too huh? I wonder what he would be like? Do you think he would be lost and innocent, or aggressive and spicy?"

Yugi growled and shot Bakura a glare, "Shut up. Even if I was – which I'm not – you know what would happen if I seduced him."

"So you're not attracted to him at all?"

"I just said that didn't I?"

Bakura smirked, "I think your body would argue with you..."

Before Yugi could ask what Bakura meant he felt the chimera's large hand wrap around his renewed erection startling a gasp from him, and turned to give his clansmen a baleful look. Bakura just chuckled and captured Yugi's sulking lips with his own his hand stroking lazily as he lowered them both back down to the floor.

Yugi's last thought before succumbing to his desire and instincts again was that he was in serious trouble...


	6. Close Calls

_**Welcome back to the sixth chapter of TH:DH! Sorry for the lack of updates! Kytrin was without internet and she was editing the chapters! Expect updates again my lovely readers! ((pets))**_

_**Anyway, Kytrin has posted a work on her account called: "Bittersweet Love." If **_I_** was an adoring YGO fan, **_I_** would go check it out! (Shameless plug detected)**_

_**I looked over this chapter after Kytrin finished her holy editing work. She... yeah. She's a smart woman, but absolutely oblivious to the terrifying power of her vocabulary. **_

_**Enjoy, and don't forget to review! **_

--::--

Yami absolutely hated being lost.

And that, unfortunately, was precisely what he had been for the past ten minutes. He'd had the sense to ask his third period teacher for directions of course, but he hadn't counted on the narrow hallways being more packed than a can of sardines, and had somehow missed his turn as a result. And, naturally, when he'd tried to backtrack he'd been somehow shoved down yet another corridor, and then another, until the poor human wouldn't have been able to tell where his starting point had been if he'd tried.

He suppressed, yet another, growl as he shoved his way along praying he would either come across a landmark he recognized or even Bakura, Mariku, or a teacher he could ask directions from. Sadly, this particular stretch of hallway seemed to be devoid of classrooms, and there was no sign of either the vampire or chimera. Hell, at this point he would've asked directions from that snotty little incubus, Yugi, if it would mean finding his next class.

At least he wasn't being molested by demons looking to "have a little fun with the human" anymore. He wasn't sure why that was; the first, and so far only guy to bother the human had gone pale under his green skin as soon as he'd stepped into Yami's personal space. He shouted something at his buddies about "That" clan, and run off. Really it made no sense to the human, but whatever that had been about apparently spread because no one else had bothered him; and the various demons currently around him were taking care to stay as much out of his personal space as they could given the packed conditions; for which he was most grateful.

Lost in his thoughts as he rounded yet another unidentifiable corner, Yami failed to notice the sudden fear radiating from the students around him. Point in fact, he really wasn't paying much attention to anything at the moment. He was too busy trying to mentally trace his path to see if he was anywhere near his next class. As such, when he caught sight of a nice gap in the hallway, coupled with the realization that it was in front of the exact turn he needed to get to class, he paid no attention to the changed atmosphere and darted through the gap with a grin; even going so far as to toss an apology over his shoulder when he lightly bumped into a large beefy man as he passed.

That lack of attention proved to be a huge mistake.

Before he knew what was going on, the giant student had grabbed Yami by the scruff of his collar and pushed Yami against the wall with enough force to shatter bone.

A gush of air escaped Yami's pained lungs and bright lights exploded in his vision. The orphan felt his spine creak in protest against such treatment, and the stone wall scratched his back through his shirt. He groaned in surprise. His spine had been kicked, punched, grabbed, and bruised before, but it had never come close to breaking until now. What the hell?

Yami swallowed the bile of pain lodged in his throat and asked quite politely, for his standards at least, "What the fuck crawled up your ass and died?"

The whole student body fell into a dead silence. Yami's outburst was obviously more surprising than the teenager pushing Yami against the wall with enough force to break his neck.

_'Lovely, I'm being stared at like I'm a freak, even though _I'm _the one being assaulted.'_

Somehow it figured.

Stupid demons...

The hefty teenager looked at Yami in raw shock, obviously surprised at being openly challenged. Yami had the feeling that this teenager shoved students against the wall regularly just for the hell of it.

Which would explain a few things...

He continued to stare at the orphan until Yami began to develop some of the symptoms Leo displayed when showing off his disease DotM, or more commonly known as 'Diarrhea of the Mouth'.

"What the hell are you staring at you stupid meat head?" Yami snapped.

Sadly, unlike Leo, Yami's DotM was a potentially terminal condition.

The fist came at Yami with impressive speed, and the orphan had to twist his head to avoid getting his teeth knocked in. Which, unfortunately, didn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things. The wall crumbled like dried bread under the teenager's might, and the impact jarred violently against Yami's chin. Fabulous. That was guaranteed to leave a colorful bruise. Fortunately, the teenager dropped Yami to the floor and, out of long habit and practice, the orphan swiftly rolled and stood up. His body was tensed having recognized the signs of a fight.

"What's your name?" The demon teenager suddenly asked. Yami was surprised at the suave tone of his voice. He was truthfully expecting his voice to sound similar to scratching talons across a chalkboard.

Just goes to show...

"...Atemu." He replied unsure of where the name had come from, but not really caring. Both his gut and common sense were screaming at him not to give the demon his real name, and Yami hadn't lived this long ignoring his instincts.

The teenager's black eyes followed Yami's movements carefully, a triumphant smirk on his twisted face, "Well Atemu, my name is Ushio, not that you'll remember it..." He closed one eye, keeping the other focused on Yami.

"Now Atemu... you will bow before me and beg forgiveness for the wrong acts you have done against your master." Ushio said in a persuasive tone. His voice was laced with honey, sugar and oil. Smooth and calming. Yami didn't listen to that though; he was focusing on the words ordering him, "You will lick my shoes, and after I am done with you... in front of everyone here, you will impale yourself with my dagger." For emphasis, Ushio pulled the blade from his boot and licked the fine edge.

Yami stared at him in disgust, "Are you crazy?" He spat, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" He scowled, "You know what you can do with that dagger," His voice rose with each word, "You can go ahead and SHOVE IT UP YOUR-"

Wherever Yami was planning on telling Ushio to stick that knife was going to have to wait, because a blur of tan and white ran between himself and Ushio.

Bakura straightened up from the crouch he had landed in, "You don't want to tell him to do that Yami. He might actually take your advice and the hall monitors will get pissed off because the blood will stain the carpets."

Yami snickered. Knifes didn't usually belong in the place he was going to tell Ushio to stick it anyway, "You're probably right." Yami had no idea where Bakura had jumped in, but he was grateful for the support needless to say. It was a nice reminder that, for whatever reason, he wasn't alone in this school; Yami didn't usually have friends.

Ushio glared at Yami, "You liar...!" He snarled, "He just said your name was Yami, not Atemu!"

"What a pity, I suppose it makes all the difference in the world..." Yami drawled.

Bakura nodded, "It actually does." He said flatly. Yami glanced at the Chimera questioningly.

"Ushio can control a person if he knows their name, but luckily he has to hear it from the person themselves." He glanced at Ushio, "Once he learns their name from another person, he loses the ability to control them."

Yami's blood ran cold in his veins when he understood just what had almost happened to him. If he hadn't paid attention to his instincts he would've stabbed himself!

What the hell was _with_ these fucking demons!

"I hate liars." Ushio roared, flexing his muscular fists, "You lied to me!"

"He obviously doesn't realize that he tried to kill me." Yami commented to the albino conversationally, "Not the brightest crayon in the box, is he?"

"Not. At. All." Bakura agreed laughingly. The albino's experienced cinnamon eyes watched Ushio's movements carefully, "He's brainless, but he's also pure brawn. He's a fully fledged Demon like me, but he has no subcategories. He's one hundred percent demon."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

Bakura rolled his eyes, "To put it simply... he can smear your ass and my ass. At the same time."

Ushio kissed a bicep for show, and Yami's face curled in disgust, "You've got to be shitting me..."

"Sadly I shit you not..."

Ushio looked at the two teenagers with narrowed black eyes. He pointed a stubby finger at Yami and snapped, "Your ass is grass," He pulled his hand up to his throat and mimicked the sign for death, "And I'm your lawnmower."

Yami quirked an eyebrow in disbelief, of all the evil, maniacal threats he could have made... Ushio just had to use a clichéd line from a children's play. The mortal shrugged, figuring it could be worse. Ushio could have said 'Any last prayers?' the over-used Hollywood line from every movie known to man-kind. Yami hadn't even seen a movie in the last three years, but he knew that if he went into the closest theatre he'd see that line in at least five of the recent movies.

Bakura raised his hand, "Question."

Stupidly, Ushio pointed at him, "Yes?"

"Can we have any last prayers?"

If the moment wasn't so serious Yami would have smacked Bakura in the face.

"Sure." Ushio scratched his forehead, "But I'm not killing you Bakura, even if you're a prick. Coach would kill me for killing our starting receiver."

Bakura ignored him and solemnly bent down to his knees and put his hands together. Yami thought it was odd that a demon would want to pray, but Ushio obviously didn't think it was too strange. He just looked at his wrist watch, wanting to kill Yami before he was late to his next class, "First, I would like to apologize for all the people I have smoked, slain, and burned... all except," Bakura whipped his head towards the large demon and opened his mouth, "Ushio, because he is the biggest tool I have ever met." He then took a lungful of air, and before the giant could stop him, the Chimera exhaled a long stream of fire.

--::--

Yugi grinned as he watched Bakura jog off determined to find the latest possible initiate to their clan. He still didn't really get what had so thoroughly impressed the chimera, besides the human's smart mouth, but if it had been anything half as impressive as the way Yami had taken on those mud trolls yesterday (which Yugi had to reluctantly admit had been damned impressive) then he wasn't surprised his clansmen had decided to give the human a chance.

Of course, that meant he would have to apologize to the human at some point...

He sighed. Oh well...

He stretched his wings, enjoying the delightful crack between his shoulder blades, sprang forward, allowing his wings to expand to a size large enough to support his weight, and flew down the halls grateful the school was large enough to permit indoor flying. His wings caught a warm puff of air which carried him high into the rafters where a variety of other students capable of flight were perched or gliding along. Grinning brightly, Yugi caught sight of a tall figure sitting with his legs crossed on one of the wooden support beams.

"Seto!" He sang, gliding to a halt and hanging inches above the rafter with his toes pointed downward. The student in question frowned, snapping his laptop shut with an audible click.

"Yes Yugi?" he asked curtly, "Is there something you need?"

The incubus grinned, "What? Can't a guy come visit his cousin?" He cocked his head to one side, "What are you doing up here anyway? Isn't your free period with Joey about to start?"

Seto grumbled something under his breath and pointedly reopened his laptop. Yugi snickered softly. Obviously they'd gotten into a fight, and from the sour look on his cousin's face he'd guess that Joey had been the one to get the upper hand this time. He shook his head fondly. Those two had to be the most unstable mating he'd ever seen. They were always fighting about something. It didn't really matter what either. It drove Bakura up the wall, to the point he'd even threatened to roast them if they continued their arguments around him, but Yugi was privately convinced it was their form of foreplay. Certainly the energy he sensed from their room was more than enough to convince him that their makeup sex was hot enough.

"Should I even ask what it was over this time?"

Seto glared at him coldly, "That's none of your business." He began to gather his things, "If you have nothing productive to say I'm leaving."

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Bakura and Mariku have scent marked a new recruit." He stated effectively stopping his cousin cold.

Seto turned wide, incredulous eyes on him, "Say what?"

"Bakura and Mariku have scent marked a new recruit." Yugi repeated calmly. Now that he'd fed his previous irritation had mostly drained away leaving him feeling relaxed and not at all inclined to be up in arms about much of anything. Not even an unannounced new recruit. He smiled to himself closing his eyes contentedly. He rather liked this state of being.

"They did what!"

"Seto, I know you can be hard of hearing at times, but do I really need to say it a third time?" The incubus quipped opening one eye in amusement.

"Explain. Now."

Yugi gave his cousin an amused look and calmly recounted everything he'd discussed with Bakura about Yami and why Bakura had chosen to mark him without discussing it with the clan first. He glossed over the details of why he'd been in trouble with the mud trolls in the first place, just as he had with Bakura, but from the dangerous narrowing of his cousin's eyes he guessed the other had put it together anyway. He allowed himself a moment of hot satisfaction. While Ushio might be the strongest demon around; his clan, as a whole, was the strongest Teratos had seen in nearly five hundred years, and it would only grow stronger as its members aged and grew more into their powers. Few people didn't know who they were, and even fewer dared to mess with them. To do so would virtually guarantee the wrath of the rest of the clan, and for most that was a lethal proposition. Those mud trolls were done for. He only hoped his clansmen would give him the satisfaction of at least delivering the killing blows.

"There's no way a mere human could do what you claimed with those trolls."

Yugi shrugged, "Maybe not. But it's possible Yami is a Sleeper. Bakura _did_ say that had become a more common practice in recent years. Especially amongst the rarer races. And if something happened to the rest of his family..."

"Then he wouldn't necessarily know he was any different from a normal human until his final transformation." Seto finished, "A reasonable notion cousin, but that doesn't explain why he was sent to Teratos now, and why, if he _is_ a Sleeper, he shows no traces of demonic energy."

Yugi shrugged again, "Who knows? It's entirely possible he's only just begun his change, and if that's the case no one would necessarily sense anything yet." He eyed his cousin somberly, "Either way, the result is that the entire school knows we're interested in him now."

"That white haired idiot's intent no doubt." Seto sighed, "I suppose there's not much we can do now. And loathe as I am to admit it, that chimera has sharp instincts. I'm willing to give the mortal the benefit of the doubt if you and Joey are."

Yugi grinned, "I am. And I doubt Joey will mind much either." He smirked, "He's always respected guys who can stand up to him."

Seto rolled his eyes and favored Yugi with a half hearted glare, "I hate you sometimes."

"Love you too coz." The other chirped.

Seto intensified his glare, but his oblivious cousin had closed his eyes again looking far more contented and relaxed than he had in weeks. For his part, said cousin was glad Seto hadn't asked him why exactly he would've been at the mercy of mud trolls in the first place. But then, Seto had always possessed a reasonable amount of tact where family was concerned, and Yugi knew perfectly well that Seto's frightening intellect had already deduced the general story if not the particulars anyway.

Not that there was really much to tell...

It had been a matter of timing and circumstance more than anything else really. An emergency had come up with Bakura's blood clan regarding his sister; and her decision to follow in her elder brother's footsteps and run outside the blood packs most chimera favored. Unfortunately, it was a decision her parents, and the rest of the chimera clans, did not favor. Yugi sighed. It was common knowledge that most chimera were openly disdainful of most demons, and were generally convinced of their own superiority. Nor were they particularly shy about enforcing their elitism on their children through brainwashing, and when that failed, threats and manipulations.

How Bakura's parents had managed to whelp him and his sister was beyond Yugi. He had no idea what all his clansmen had gone through to live his life on his terms, but from the way the chimera's expression darkened every time his people were brought up Yugi had no problems believing it hadn't been pleasant or easy. Even now they sometimes tried to cause him problems in one way or another…

Fortunately, Bakura was the most powerful of his kind alive, and was part of an equally powerful clan. They couldn't touch him. Aname wasn't so lucky. She was younger, less powerful, and ran with a lower classed clan. And, as Bakura had found out from his sister's frantic letter, their parents were exerting all kinds of pressure on her to force her to leave her chosen clan. It was news that had infuriated their clansmen, and he'd wasted no time packing his things and running off to rescue her.

It was a rescue that had been intended to last two weeks, but had wound up lasting all summer. Unfortunately, no one else had realized that at the time. So Mariku had gone cheerfully to New York to see his sister and brother-in-law while they got ready to move down to Georgia to join the rest of the clan; thinking Bakura would be back soon for Yugi. And not long after that Seto had gotten called out to help with a devastating earthquake leaving an irritable and mopey Joey behind. Which inadvertently left Yugi without either of his usual sources of sexual energy, and no one to notice and do something about it. Joey might've if he'd known, but Yugi had taken care to keep out of the werewolf's sight after the first week or so Seto was gone. He'd gotten tired of getting his head bitten off. And he himself had been reluctant to tell anyone for entirely different reasons…

He grimaced as the unwanted memories surfaced.

Unlike most incubi, Yugi was created - not born. He could still remember vestiges of his old human life, and for someone who had been taught sex was only meant for two people who loved each other deeply… Yugi's new lifestyle had always been difficult for him to adjust to.

Not that his human life had been all that great in the end either…

Seto's parents had dropped him and his little brother off at Yugi's house one day, but never came back for the two boys. Yugi's father, disgusted by his brother's antics, had immediately adopted the two boys as his own sons. Yugi's father was a kind and powerful man, much like the Sobeks, and he owned his own company. Somehow, he and his wife managed to shuffle their schedules around enough to raise the three boys in a happy and friendly environment.

But their happiness was not destined to last. Sadly, when Seto was seventeen, and Yugi fifteen, Yugi's parents along with Seto's brother fell terminally ill with tuberculosis. They struggled to hold onto life for a long year, Yugi and Seto watched tearfully from a safe distance, they were not allowed to venture too close in fear they might catch the deadly disease as well. Eventually, the three members lost their battle for life.

Dutifully, Seto had not wasted time crying. He immediately filed for custody over Yugi and implemented plans to take control of their deceased father's company until Yugi came of age to run it himself. A fearsome prospect for an adult. A nearly impossible one for an adolescent just out of school; no matter how intelligent. But he'd done it. Somehow he'd saved their father's company from the old vultures who'd wanted to snatch it up.

It was a situation they'd managed to keep running smoothly for about a year. In that time Seto was able to provide for both Yugi and himself; all the while living comfortably in their house. In the mornings, Seto would wake up early enough to see Yugi off to school, then he would go to work, do his job, piss people off (something he was very good at), and eventually walk back home to eat dinner with Yugi.

But exactly one year from the day their parents died, Seto never came back home. Yugi had his plate ready for his cousin's return. When Seto hadn't come back immediately, Yugi had gone ahead and eaten his supper. This behavior was normal for his cousin, although Yugi would often remember how angry he got at Seto for not calling him first before making him cook dinner. Yugi just covered Seto's food like normal and set the plate on the oven for Seto to eat later.

But seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to hours and Seto still hadn't come home. This was strange, because Seto was usually very punctual when telling Yugi he was going to be late. Worried about his cousin's presence, Yugi had called Seto's cell phone. It had gone to Seto's voicemail.

Yugi's senses had gone into overdrive, and suddenly the teenager had felt fear unlike any other he had ever experienced set in like a lead weight. Seto always picked up his phone. Always.

Nothing stopped his cousin from answering the phone when someone called. Seto could be in the middle of a meeting with the President and he would make the ruler of the free world sit on his folded ass while he dealt with his phone call. Of course, if it had been over a stupid reason, Seto would usually hang up on the person, Yugi included, but he still always answered the phone under every circumstance. It could be an important call, someone could be hurt, or there could have been an emergency. Yugi shivered a little as he recalled the cold fist of fear that had settled into his stomach that night.

As quickly as he could, Yugi had tugged on a worn jacket, and run frantically out the door desperate to find his only remaining family.

It was a search that had proved to be completely futile.

Hysterical with worry by this time he called everyone he even barely knew, and even some people he didn't know, to join the search for Seto. They mostly scoffed and ignored Yugi. Over the course of the past year, his ruthless cousin had tallied up a hefty number of enemies and there were few people on the face of the planet that didn't want Seto buried under several feet of dirt. Angrily, they told Yugi to give up and leave him. That the world was better off without his cold-hearted cousin.

Fearing the worst, Yugi made the call to police as soon as the required time had passed.

A huge search was made; looking for the CEO of a well-known business. The people, who had brushed Yugi off before, now stepped forward into the limelight and cameras. Each tearfully told the reporters how worried they were for Seto, and if he could hear them, please come back to them. Every person was a 'close friend' to Seto, and Yugi was surprised when they advanced into the media's attention, soaking up the awareness. Several started canned food drives, donated to charity, and urged citizens to look out for a 'proud young member of society'. Yugi was sickened by their fake smiles, but he didn't care so long as Seto was found and brought safely back.

Unfortunately, as a week had passed with agonizing slowness, there was still no sign of Seto. Eventually the news reporters and papers stopped calling Yugi. All of his 'helpers' disappeared and moved on with their lives. Each signed Seto off as dead. Only Yugi had continued working tirelessly. Searching desperately for the person he knew deep in his heart was already dead.

They body was found two weeks later in the lake.

Misshapen and abused, the autopsy declared Seto a murdered man. He had been mugged, while he was alive, his skull was beaten in with a lead pole and he was left to drown in the lake. Yugi was tormented, knowing that Seto had been alive through all this. The news affected him deeply, and disturbed his mind greatly.

The teenager only lasted one year past Seto's death.

Hysterical and underage Yugi's trust funds had been seized by power hungry officials 'looking out for the poor boy's welfare'. He'd then been kicked out of his house by his cousin's successor, and sent to a 'special' orphanage to 'recover' from the shock.

It turned out Gouzaboro had some… interesting… business investments.

His so called orphanage had turned out to be a brothel for underage prostitution. And Yugi's exotic looks had garnered quite a bit of attention. He swiftly shied away from the still raw memories of what had happened the night he'd discovered what the orphanage really was. The terror, humiliation, shame, agony, and blood still haunted his nightmares. And likely always would. Suffice to say it had not taken long for Yugi's previous hysteria to morph into a wild, but steely, determination. A determination that he would not allow himself to succumb to the monsters that preyed on him. They would not break his spirit. Aware that they would never willingly let him go Yugi had repeatedly tried to run away, but when that had proved futile he'd begun searching for a more permanent way out.

After all, death could not be any worse than his life was.

At least, that was his logic. However, in a great display of irony, he never had the chance to find a way to kill himself. It had been done for him. And all it had taken was losing his temper with one of the 'customers' and refusing to obey the sick son of a bitch. Enraged, the man had begun waving a gun around trying to scare Yugi into submission, as he no doubt had every other child in the place, and it had accidentally gone off shooting a defiant Yugi right in the heart.

When the seventeen year old boy woke up next it had been to the most wonderful sight he'd ever seen in his life. With a soft, sad, smile the being before him had reached out a hand and helped him to his feet.

"Hey Yugi." Seto had said calmly, "I hope you didn't miss me too much."

That voice, so gentle and full of suppressed anger and grief, had been Yugi's undoing. He'd flung himself at his cousin sobbing out all his pain, fear, and grief. It had only been later, after Seto had gotten him away from the hell hole he'd been trapped in, that he'd learned what had happened. How after Seto had died he'd been recruited as a Shinigami on the promise he would be able to see Yugi again, and after finding out Yugi's likely fate after his own death had taken matters into his own hands.

Yugi's lips twisted a little. Much as he hated the necessity of living off sex now; he would be eternally grateful to his cousin for defying the rules, once again, to not only resurrect him as a demon, but to resurrect him with the most powerful blood he could thus ensuring that Yugi would never again be at anyone's mercy.

Yugi's wings gave a guilty twitch; providing, of course, that he kept himself fed.

"Yugi?"

Yugi was pulled out of his thoughts by the gentle query and opened his eyes to meet the worried blue of his cousin.

"Are you alright?" Seto asked, "You've been brooding for the past ten minutes."

Yugi just smiled serenely, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"I could tell." The shinigami replied evenly gesturing to where Yugi's hands were clenched tightly enough to draw blood. Yugi blushed and unclenched his fists. Seto merely sighed.

"You fed recently didn't you." It wasn't a question and Yugi looked away in a mixture of embarrassment and resentment, "Why do you always do this when you feed Yugi?" His cousin asked quietly, "When will you let the past die?"

"Die?" Yugi hissed derisively, "What die? It will never die! Not as long as I have to live off others like some kind of parasite!" He shivered unconsciously, "Just like the parasites who fed on me…"

Seto lunged forward and grabbed his cousin's shoulders roughly, "You are not a parasite!" He growled, "Never compare yourself to those monsters! You are nothing like them! Never think you are! Not for a moment! You do not hurt. You do not force! Those who give you their energy do so willingly! You are our clan for crying out loud!"

Yugi stared at Seto disbelief warring with surprise in a mix that many would have called slightly insane. And guilty. He flushed brightly, ashamed that Seto had needed to remind him, again, of what it meant to be part of a clan.

"I'm sorry." He whispered contritely. Seto just shook his head and re-opened his laptop.

"Whatever." Blue eyes darted down towards the ground, "But look there..." Seto murmured, "It looks like your human friend is getting into a bit of trouble with the local bullies..."

Interested, Yugi darted his violet eyes towards the ground. Sure enough there was a familiar mop of unruly red, black, and blond hair shouting at a large, hulking demon. Ushio to be exact. He snickered to himself. He'd give Yami credit for having balls if nothing else.

"Ah, it looks like you're right..." He sighed; a desire to wreak havoc on the clan's main rival already rearing it's ugly head, "He's going to get his butt kicked."

"Then we should logically go down and help him," Seto snorted, "Blood takes forever to get out of those thick carpets." He added glumly.

"Oh, like you do the cleaning..." Yugi rolled his eyes.

A loud, distinctly human, screech that could be heard from down below knocked a few harpies off their perches, shrieking indignantly at the noise. The fight had started and a few demons had begun scrambling to get out of the way.

Yugi and Seto glanced down, surprised to see a white blur join on Yami's side.

"Is that the idiot Bakura?" Seto asked.

"Probably."

A wall of fire erupted seconds later. Yep. Definitely Bakura. Yugi and Seto looked at each other for a second before grinning, and jumped down to join the brawl.

--::--

Screams echoed around the room and harpies took off from the rafters, screeching in annoyance. Feathers dropped into the rope of fire and incinerated upon contact. Yami, trapped between the heat and swarming bodies of his classmates, began to feel dizzy. The heat was hurting his eyes and head, engulfing him in a miniature cocoon from hell.

Then it stopped. Almost as soon as it had started.

Small, strong hands pulled him up by his arms, taking him safely into the air. As soon as Yami was lifted from the ground, Bakura ceased his fire breath and shifted form. In seconds, he too was in the air. The form of a white maned Chimera flying close behind a weightless Yami.

It was alarming to see so great a beast flying through the air. Bakura's new body and head were those of a lion, with wings of an eagle, a spitting tale of a cobra, and wicked horns that curled backwards like a rams. His body was a glimmering shade of pure white. Certainly an awe inspiring sight, and more than worthy of its legend.

At least, Yami thought so.

Wondering who had dragged him aloft Yami twisted his head to see his savor. It seemed like a safe idea, but almost immediately, he felt his heart stop.

Grinning widely, Yugi kept his hands wrapped securely around Yami's arms, "Yugi!?" Yami asked incredulously, "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your butt, what does it look like?" Yugi replied. He frowned, "Hold still, I don't want to drop you."

Glancing down, Yami saw a significant drop to the floor. He immediately complied with Yugi's requests; holding as still as possible until he was able to set the human carefully on one of the beams above the school.

"Ushio won't come after you up here" Yugi explained, "He can't fly, and he's afraid of heights."

'_Well, doesn't _that_ sound familiar?'_ Yami thought weakly before closing his eyes. He tried not to look down. It's not like he was afraid of heights, but man there was quite a drop... He gripped Yugi's forearm tightly when he stumbled on the narrow beam, sharp blue eyes caught the motion.

As did smirking cinnamon ones.

Yami was too focused on _not_ losing his remaining breakfast to notice or care.

Yugi, who'd seen both expressions, just blushed and helped Yami regain his balance.

"Thanks." Yami croaked, his face turning a light shade of green, and flashed a quick smile at Yugi. It was a lopsided smirk, not much to Yami... but enough for Yugi's heart to jump to his throat.

Yugi only nodded, unable to understand what had just taken place, "What were you doing antagonizing Ushio anyway?" he demanded, attempting to catch his train of thought, "That guy likes to kill, torture, maim, and kill just for the heck of it."

"And that's on a good day!" Bakura growled from where he'd shifted back from his chimera form, and stood up, "Are you stupid?" He demanded slapping Yami upside the head, "Or do you just not have any survival instincts?"

"I would say the new kid on campus is trying to make a name for himself." An amused voice from behind quipped. Yami turned, carefully, and found himself face to face with a tall teenager. He had brown hair and dark blue eyes. Yami's gut twisted in a clear warning for caution. Yami wasn't sure why that was, but the boy before him appeared unapproachable in a distinct 'Don't touch me' kind of way. Yet a faint hint of interest glowed behind the icy demeanor.

"Not really." Yami shot back, his efforts at _not_ looking down having finally resulted in him regaining a scrap of equilibrium, "I've just been having really crappy luck! ...And my name's Yami."

Smirking, the teenager held his hand out to the orphan, "I'm Seto." Yami reached out to shake Seto's hand, but it was slapped away by Yugi. Alarmed, Yami gave the incubus a questioning glare, but the demon didn't look at him.

"That's a mean trick Seto!" Yugi complained, "You know you can't touch humans!"

Yami looked at Seto and Yugi in confusion.

"Seto's a Shinigami. A messenger of death. If he touches a mortal they'll die." Bakura said bluntly. Seto shrugged in agreement and Yami paled. Again.

This was becoming a habit…

Damnit.

"I suppose you want to be welcomed to Teratos High?" Seto asked politely, a grin hiding behind his calm mask. Yami shook his head. Already he had come close to death on multiple occasions. At this rate he wasn't entirely sure he'd survive to see lunch. The thought of a 'welcome' made him sick.

Of course, that could've been his current location talking…

"Don't worry!" Bakura proclaimed, slinging his arm around Yami's neck once again, "That's just how Seto greets everyone!"

Yami rolled his eyes, "I'm _so_ reassured."

Yugi glared at Seto, "Put your gloves back on." He hissed in aggravation.

Seto slowly complied; his eyes seeking out Bakura's curiously when he realized Yami had yet to release Yugi's arm from when the incubus had helped steady the human, and neither of them had seemed to notice this fact. For his part, Bakura eyed the pair the look in his eyes morphing from one of smug triumph to pleased surprise. When he glanced up at Seto he just grinned broadly while Yugi's head was turned and winked. Seto blinked slightly before a slow grin began to creep across his own features. Bakura might irritate the hell out of him and was quite adept at driving him up the wall, but no one in the clan had sharper instincts, and Seto trusted them with his life.

At least when Bakura wasn't acting stupid in the process…

Yugi glanced up in time to see Seto's faint smile, "What are you smiling about?" He demanded; the faint flush on his cheeks evidence that, however oblivious their human was, Yugi had noticed the prolonged contact.

Yami looked up at the question, a look of slightly confused horror crossing his face, "That's a _smile_?"

Seto just smiled more.

Yami wasn't sure whether he should be worried or not…

--::--

_**Chapter six has ended! Allow me to sweep you a bow along with Kytrin! Let us applaud her fine work and rejoice! We will be working diligently to bring you the next chapter! Chapter seven will be out shortly! **_

_**By the way, despite what Kytrin said – I am **_not_** suffering from heart failure at the hands of Finals. So there!**_

_**Don't forget to press that strangely placed review button in the middle of the screen guys! We'd like to hear what you thought of the chapter!**_


	7. Survival Guide

_**Alright guys! Chapter seven is up! I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter, because the story is moving along quite nicely.**_

_**Once again, let us applaud the skills of Kytrin and her sexy editing/re-writing prowess.**_

Enjoy, and please review!

--::--

Yami sighed in relief as he pulled out his materials for World History thankful that, Bakura's fifth period class, drama, hadn't been far from Yami's allowing the chimera to guide him to his next class.

It sure as hell beat getting lost…

The teacher, who had shocked Yami into speechlessness when he'd walked in, was a wheezy old ghost by the name of Dr. Vulmer. And, apparently, insisted on gliding through seated students while lecturing - freezing them all in the process. He would also, much to Yami's amusement, try picking up a bottle of water off his desk only to become frustrated when he found it slipped through his grasp. He seemed to forget on a regular minute-to-minute basis that he was dead.

Yami guessed becoming senile was part of the package when you kicked the can.

So while the orphan, for once early to class, waited for the bell to ring he reflected upon his previous lesson, which he had found both boring and uneventful: Forensic science. Although Yami was interested in the study and signed up for the class himself, there was a huge difference between human forensics and magical forensics. For one thing, the classes didn't use DNA matching and PCR like Yami had been taught. Instead, they used magic signature tracking, commonly known as MST. It was used to find a person who had been at a scene of the crime, and they were able to track the person for miles.

Yami didn't know how to use magic so he was sadly helpless in the class. It hadn't taken him long before he'd just zoned out of the lesson and focused on the cracks against the stone wall.

They were very interesting.

Really.

In fact, he swore he saw one shaped like a star.

Provided said star was really a vaguely star shaped amoeba…

He would have to get a schedule change once he got the chance. Forty-five minutes of crack staring wasn't as enthralling as it sounded.

Though, he was somewhat reluctant to bother the nice Naga ladies twice in one day…

Truthfully, Yami just didn't want to melt into a puddle of his former self. He could just imagine the look on Leo's face when he was sent back to the orphanage in a plexi-glass bottle. He bet Leo would look at the bottle in amazement before taking a huge sip to see what flavor Yami was. Leo would then cringe and wrinkle his button nose, and Yami would quietly laugh at the liquid cannibalism the five year old just committed.

Yami chuckled; he could just see Leo now. With his wide eyes and open smile, Yami pictured the diminutive boy holding the container of his essence clutched between Leo's chubby little hands whining, 'Yami tastes nasty!' The orphan chuckled aloud. It was a funny image.

But the orphan's smile soon faded.

Yami suddenly felt horribly, horribly home sick.

And he found himself wishing oddly once again, that he could return to his normal life with Leo. He wanted to return to the orphanage, pick Leo up and prop him up on his shoulders, play with the boy, stay up with him when the boy had a nightmare, and sneak into the kitchen late at night to get a snack for him.

A forlorn feeling ran through Yami and he rapped his finger tips across the desktop trying to distract himself. He returned his gaze to Dr. Vulmer, now beginning the lesson, but soon found himself staring absently through the teachers head.

Was it a ghostly trait to have a voice so monotonous that it could put people to sleep?

He'd have to ask Bakura…

Yami vaguely wondered if he could throw his pencil through the teacher's eye from his seat when a howl sounded from outside the door and two students ran into the class. Surprised, Yami recognized the first one as Yugi, out of breath and his face lit with excitement. The other was a sandy-haired boy, with two wickedly tapered ears and dark brown eyes. A wide grin was drawn on his face, and as he plopped down in his seat he high-fived the incubus.

"Made it!" He exclaimed, proud of himself, "We rock Yugi!"

"Of course," Yugi giggled, taking his seat besides his friend, "I thought our greatness had long since been proven."

"Strangely enough, there are still some people alive willing to dispute the fact..." Yugi's blond friend joked.

Both teenagers froze, having had the ghost of Dr. Vulmer speed through both of them. The blond student merely shuddered at the feeling and straightened up in his desk, but Yugi's back stiffened, and pupils dilated. Yami's quirked an eyebrow at the change in Yugi's demeanor, but as soon as it happened Yugi returned to normal, looking bashfully at the teacher.

Yami gaped.

Since when was Yugi bashful?

He wondered if the incubus was feeling alright.

"I know the rules of Teratos are: 'If you're not caught, you're not late', but please try to make it on time to my class Mr. Mouto and Mr. Wheeler." Dr. Vulmer snipped, "If you are late, please come into the classroom quietly. I will not condone misconduct in my class."

"Sorry." The teenagers said simultaneously. Satisfied, the teacher glided off resuming his lecture about god knows what.

"Mr. Sobek! Pay attention!" The ghost slid through Yami, and the orphan was suddenly met with the feeling of his insides freezing.

"S-Sorry" Yami replied, teeth chattering, "You can continue teaching Mr. Casper!"

Unsure of how to respond to the orphan's blatant response, Dr. Vulmer blinked at Yami until the orphan flashed him a cheesy smile. Deciding to punish Yami later, the teacher glided back through the rows of seats, invoking shudders and winces from the students he passed.

"Let us return back to our lesson," Dr. Vulmer stated, sounding about as excited at the prospect as the manically depressed robot from Hitchhiker's Guide, "About holocaustic battle between the demons and..." His transparent eyes gazed at Yami, "The humans..."

Dr. Vulmer swayed back and forth, taking his place beside the podium, "We'll have a demonstration." He gestured towards Yugi who gave a grunt of annoyance, "While we're talking about the Great War, it would be better to use a direct descendent of our dear deceased queen Fantasia." Dr. Vulmer shot Yugi a glance that promised a semester of repeating his class if the incubus didn't agree.

Grudgingly, Yugi stood up and slinked to the front of the room. His friend snickered and tossed the comic book he had been reading under his desk back in his bag. He straightened in his seat and blinked his wide brown eyes; feigning an attentive innocence. Yugi glared from his spot and turned to his teacher.

"What should I do?" He asked,

"Just stay there for a moment, we need another volunteer." Dr. Vulmer stated. Yugi frowned. With the way he had just been assigned to this job and silently threatened with a failing grade, Yugi doubted there would be much 'volunteering' in this class. Dr. Vulmer glanced around the class, clear eyes focusing on Yami. "Yes! The human, this is perfect! Come up will you?"

Yugi could see the mortal's heated annoyance at being called on with such a title, and grudgingly admired him for stubbornly staying in his seat. Yami's crimson eyes were hardened into fine ruby slits and he stoically shook his head. Yugi doubted the Kraken the oceanography teacher kept in the school pool could budge the human from his chair. "No thank you." The student said slowly, his baritone voice carrying in the small classroom, "I'm not much of an active learner."

Dr. Vulmer narrowed his ghostly eyes, but his smile never left his face, it appeared frozen at Yami's words, "Mr. Sobek if you wouldn't mind-..."

"But sadly, I do mind..." Yami replied with forced calm. Yugi quirked an eyebrow, surprised at the teenager's blatant disregard for authority. It began to make him feel uncomfortable; standing up in the front of the classroom all by himself (Dr. Vulmer didn't count). The students began to stare at the battle between Dr. Vulmer and the human, either this student was trying to show off, or he really just didn't care...

None of them could have been further from the truth…

Dr. Vulmer's ghostly spectacles flashed in annoyance, "Mr. Sobek, if you haven't realized the war we're discussing in class is between the great queen Fantasia and the humans that who killed her, you're sadly dull!"

Yugi saw one of Yami's eyebrows arch in barely restrained fury. A sense of danger began to creep in the belly of Yugi's stomach, his instincts and every one of his senses flared to heighten the feeling. Yugi shook the feeling off, what could one measly human do?

Besides beat up mud trolls…

"I understand that, doctor" Yami said calmly, his voice thick with suppressed rage, "But allow me to guess who I could possibly represent?" He stood up, gesturing at Yugi, "The evil scourge of society. The nameless human who killed your glorious queen." His crimson eyes darkened to twin dark pools of blood, "No thanks, I'd rather not be the example for your mockery of the human race." He sat back down, arms crossed in aggravation.

Dr. Vulmer stared at the teenager in complete shock until his eyes suddenly softened in understanding. So far he had referred to Yami directly as 'Mr. Sobek', but when speaking about him indirectly, he had called him 'the human' as if he was nothing more than an object. Yami had seen this stereotype all day and so far it was only noon. He was sick of being noted as object, or even a slight nuisance. It bothered the teen and every demon and angel in the room could see that. Just because Yami was the only human, he had to play the part of the evil tyrant who killed Fantasia. Just because Yami was a human, whispers had followed him all day.

And because Yami was human, he had gotten annoyed by the constant label glued to him.

"I apologize." Dr. Vulmer said tamely, he averted his eyes awkwardly. He too had been human at one point in his life, as had more then half his class.

Yugi felt a sharp pang of guilt shoot through him, and he shuffled his feet distractedly. He had stereotyped Yami as well. And he well knew it. Yugi had only spoken to Yami in the hallway because he was curious about the new 'human'...and had wanted to see his erstwhile rescuer up close. He hadn't cared about the fact he was a living, breathing person. Yugi was just interested in the new potential play thing.

Gruffly, the human stood up again, sliding slowly out of his seat. He walked to the front of the classroom and stood there silently, arms crossed over his lean chest. Dr. Vulmer glided over towards Yami and said softly, "You don't have to do it... I can always pick someone else." The mortal just stared at the ghost with his stony ruby eyes, challenging him to make any more fuss over the stupid lesson. The teacher caved instantly, not bothering to persuade the teenager otherwise.

"Mr. Wheeler, please come down, you will play Yugi's advisor." Dr. Vulmer stated, trying shakily to re-gain control over his lesson.

The blond stood up irritated, "Well... it's not as though he listens to any of my advice." He muttered, tossing Yami a wink and breaking the ice almost instantly.

Yami snickered slightly.

Yugi smiled, grateful for the break in the tense atmosphere. He stuck his tongue out at his friend, "C'mon Joey, I listen to you... I just don't do what you tell me to."

Joey snorted and smacked his friend on the ear, "And then you wonder when your choices end you in a horribly irritated mood for at least a week and a half..."

"Hey, we heard you bitch and complain about a bruised knee for at least twice that amount of time."

"That was because someone decided to close their sunroof over my leg!"

"Well it's your fault for trying to climb out of it!"

"Oh yeah, well what about the time where you–"

"Mr. Wheeler! The lesson!" Dr. Vulmer said, exasperated. The blond looked sheepishly at the teacher, "My bad..."

Dr. Vulmer adjusted his glasses sourly, "Yes... your bad..." He resumed his place behind the podium and flipped a few pages ahead in the teachers edition textbook, "Every one of you know at least part of the story behind our school symbol, the stained glass window which can be found in the center of the school."

He gestured towards Yugi, "And most of you already know that Mr. Mouto here is a direct descendent from Madam Fantasia." Yami shrugged, not really understanding the main point behind this lecture.

"But however, as it is in the school curriculum, I'm going to go through the boring process of explaining to you everything you already should know." He paused giving Yami a wry glance, "Mr. Sobek excluded of course."

Yami rolled his eyes, but couldn't quite stop a smirk from forming. It had, after all, been a decent return volley for his earlier comments.

"Now, Yugi will represent the queen Fantasia, Joey the advisor, and Yami the king of the humans, Atemu. We will now use a spell I normally save for my more advanced students... But I feel it would be a waste not to use it now..."

Yami barely had the time to shoot the teacher a confused look before Dr. Vulmer stretched a ghostly hand to Yami's face and covered his eyes. The world went dark.

--::--

_He was clad in thick armor, animal hind cushioning the metal against his weak skin. Unlike a demon, a mortal__'__s skin could easily be punctured, and while he was at war with tougher and stronger opponents Atemu had no desire to be staked to a tree. The king of humans stood staring at the Demonic castle, Teratos, from the safety of the foliage surrounding the stronghold. Dark pillars stabbed at the sky, and Atemu gazed at the sinister looking castle with a mixture of longing and respect._

_Respect born of the now countless battles fought upon the soil surrounding it; where wave after wave of his troops had spilled their blood, and spilled the blood of demons, in desperate attempts to end the war that had been raging for most of Atemu's reign._

_Longing for the desperate hope that the peace the king sought with equal desperation might at last find fertile ground._

_Unable to gaze at the castle soaked in the blood of so many of his kinsmen, Atemu looked away._

_Only to be stopped by a sting at his neck._

_He was met with the point of a blade, a small droplet of his blood trailing down its steel edge, __"__You__'__re trespassing human.__"__ A ferocious growl came from the wielder._

_Atemu froze, brown eyes fixated on the point of the weapon. He recognized the voice. It belonged to the werewolf named Katsuya. He was known to be a terror to fight, and was responsible for the deaths of many of Atemu__'__s friends and soldiers. The king of humans didn__'__t begrudge him of this though, for he was only a soldier in a war out of control, __"__I am aware... dog.__"__ A wry smirk drew itself across Atemu__'__s face, __"__But you__'__ll find that I was... invited here.__"_

_The blade lowered a fraction of an inch, but the brown eyes of Katsuya remained skeptical. The werewolf flicked his head to dislodge his blond hair before his growled a low, __"__Prove it.__"_

"_He doesn__'__t need to... Atemu was invited by my request.__"__ A soft voice rang from deeper within the forest, __"__Please don__'__t kill our guest Katsuya, those would reflect poorly upon your manners.__"__ The voice giggled musically. The voice belonged to that of the Queen of Demons, the succubus Fantasia. One of the many reasons why Atemu thirsted for peace over war: He was madly in love with the Queen._

_A match made in Hell._

_Literally._

_At once Atemu felt as though someone was trying to strangle him with a damp pillow. His heart rate accelerated and Katsuya, hearing and smelling Atemu__'__s spike in blood pressure, mistook the mortal__'__s excitement upon seeing the Queen as nerves and raised the sword point back to the curve of Atemu__'__s tan throat._

"_Play nice Katsuya. What would your sister say?__"__ The Queen emerged from the trees, the very epitome of beauty and grace. Atemu felt as though he should fall to his knees before her, and he would, if not for the sword that would cut his head off if he so much as blinked too much at Fantasia, __"__And what have I told you about pointing weapons at guests?__"_

"_Not to. But, your Highness...__"__ Katsuya didn__'__t remove the sword from Atemu__'__s neck._

"_Fantasia.__"__ The Queen corrected automatically._

"_Sorry, but what if the mortal tries to...__"_

_Atemu cleared his throat, __"__The mortal is right here,__"__ He raised a hand slowly and gently pushed the blade away from his neck, when he met no resistance, he continued, __"__And isn__'__t capable of hurting anyone.__"_

"_Right__"__ Katsuya snarled, __"__As if we haven__'__t seen the carnage you__'__ve unleashed upon Touzokuoh__'__s army single handedly.__"_

_Atemu raised an eyebrow. He felt strangely pleased that Katsuya acknowledged his strength in battle. That was a very high compliment considering the werewolf__'__s own prowess. Atemu was sure that Katsuya wasn__'__t aware that he just gave him a flattering remark, he had meant for the King to be insulted by the wolf__'__s remarks against his character. Atemu didn__'__t care, they were at war for a reason._

_Hell, if he were in Katsuya__'__s hairy shoes, he wouldn__'__t trust himself either. Luckily however, he was not in the werewolf__'__s shoes, and in his own._

"_If it puts your mind at ease, by all means stay in the conference room with us for Fantasia__'__s safety.__"__ Atemu said, not noticing the pointed glare Fantasia shot Katsuya. The werewolf ignored her disappointed glare and nodded._

"_That is _Queen_ Fantasia to you, mortal...__"__ The werewolf snarled. Atemu flinched inwardly, astounded that he had let Fantasia__'__s honorific title slip in his haste to put Katsuya__'__s mind at ease. The werewolf continued, __"__And I hope you won__'__t object to a weapons search.__"_

_Atemu shook his head, __"__Not at all.__"_

_Queen Fantasia stepped forward, resting a white hand on Atemu__'__s forearm. Almost immediately the king was distracted by the contact and his skin burned under her strong, yet simple touch. If the Queen noticed his sudden change in temperature (which he was sure she did), she didn__'__t show it._

"_That won__'__t be necessary.__"__ Fantasia said firmly, __"__He__'__s a guest in my castle, not a prisoner.__"__ She shot Katsuya a stern glare, __"__You might be my advisor, and I understand that you are concerned for my safety, but I trust Atemu to behave himself accordingly.__"_

_She looked pointedly at Atemu, and the King of mortals jerked his head in agreement, __"__Of course!__"__ He stuttered, __"__I wouldn__'__t dream of being a horrible guest while you are so generous in allowing me to stay in your castle.__"__ He glanced at Katsuya, __"__Shame on you for being so untrusting. I follow strict etiquette and killing my hostess violates one of my unyielding rules.__"__ He smiled at Fantasia, who returned it with bright grin of perfectly straight, white teeth._

_Atemu felt his heart skip a few beats... He gazed fully into Fantasia__'__s expressive eyes, gently taking one of her hands in his own. __"__Shall we go...?__"__ He asked._

_A small blush ran over Fantasia__'__s sweet face, her expression softened. __"__Yes...__"__ She replied quietly._

--::--

The spell broke abruptly, jerking the three students from the play they were displaying to the class via the spell Dr. Vulmer cast over them. Yami and Yugi found themselves holding hands and entangled with one another, the soft blush Fantasia had when looking at Atemu was still dusted over Yugi's cheeks, the gaze of longing Atemu looked at Fantasia with still etched on Yami's' face.

Startled from their stupor, they separated as though they were electrocuted.

"W-what the _hell_ was _that_!?" Yami panted, gazing wildly at Dr. Vulmer.

The ghost looked at his clear nails, inspecting them for non-existent dirt, "It was just a little trick I picked up from the Drama teacher." He waved at them idly with his hand, "It helps beginning acting students get more comfortable in their roles..." He rapped his finger against his chin, "Although I am surprised all three of you took to your characters so well."

"Joey and I are related to Katsuya and Fantasia, maybe that's why..." Yugi muttered, trying to fight back the blush spreading on his face.

"But how does that explain me?" Yami questioned.

"Maybe you're related to Atemu." Joey quipped, slapping Yami on the back.

The teacher quickly drifted through all three students, freezing both Yami and Yugi - Joey appeared unaffected.

"That's impossible." Dr. Vulmer interrupted vehemently, "All of Atemu's children and descendents were killed a long time ago." The three teenagers looked at each other, confused.

A student raised her hand, "What do you mean killed, sir?" Yami and the two other teenagers stood straight up, having been unaware to their audience until the girl asked the question.

Dr. Vulmer shook his head, "That's a lesson for another day." He winked at the three volunteers, "Good work guys, you may sit down now." The teacher directed his attention back to the class, "Now we'll be looking at short clips of how the relationships between these three characters progressed. I would like a one page paper summarizing the cause and effect of Peace and War between Queen Fantasia and King Atemu turned in tomorrow."

The students were given the rest of the class time to begin writing their papers. When the bell rang, an embarrassed Yami and Yugi were the first to run to the door, each avoiding eye contact.

--::--

Yami stomped down the hallway aimlessly. He was supposed to be eating his lunch in the cafeteria right about now, but he simply didn't feel like submitting himself to further embarrassment at the hand of one of his peers, or at the very least, one of his teachers.

The orphan kept a steady pace, not in the least worried about being late, and not really knowing where he was going. So, needless to say, Yami was surprised when he found himself once again staring face to face with the stained glass version of Fantasia.

Although the piece was skillfully done, Yami felt like the work didn't capture Fantasia's true beauty. In the memory he had re-enacted, Fantasia was displayed as a beautiful woman, with deep violet, cascading hair. Gorgeous and elegant, while at the same time playful. More stunning yet, Yami found, were her eyes. They were deep pools of amethyst, like gems custom cut and fitted into her lovely face...

...Jesus, he was beginning to sound like a crappy poet. Yami checked his pulse to see if he was dying. Nope, he was still alive.

In the window, Atemu was displayed as a dark man, looking sorrowfully at Fantasia, but with a hint of contempt and evil buried in his soul. Glowing red eyes shone from a curtain of straight black hair.

Yami frowned, finding it strange that the man was depicted in such a way. From what he recalled, Atemu was a good king who desired peace over war. A sudden thought struck him. While acting as the King of Humans, Yami didn't voice any of his thoughts aloud, he was imagining everything silently. So maybe no one ever really knew what the monarch was truly assuming.

Perhaps that was why the stain glassed image depicted fiery red eyes over the solemn brown Atemu recalled. Maybe the red was a symbolic shade for demons as it was for humans. He recalled the moment when he was staring into Fantasia's wide eyes; he had been able to see his reflection shining in her purple orbs. That's how close he had been to her... or rather Yugi.

Yami's face flamed red, the shock of the in class performance had not been forgotten, just pushed away. Now when he remembered being entangled with Yugi, the shock was still fresh in his mind, and the burning touch of his skin still tingled on his arms. Yami didn't know what was happening to him, and he didn't plan on finding out.

The last thing he was interested in was dealing with that obnoxious incubus any more than he had to.

"Why isn't Yami at lunch?"

The orphan started in surprised and spun around.

"Mariku!"

"The one and only!" The vampire pranced over towards Yami, stopping short of him and swaying on the spot like a child. Strangely enough, Yami didn't question this behavior. By this time he found such antics normal for Mariku, "Well?" He cackled, "Why isn't Yami eating 'food'?"

The orphan shrugged, "I didn't feel like it..." he replied truthfully. "What about you Mariku? Why don't you-... oh yeah..." Yami took a step away from the vampire. Mariku pouted.

"'Oh yeah' He says..." Mariku smirked dangerously, "Might Mariku remind Yami... that Mariku is very... very... hungry." His two long fangs reflected the many colors of the stained glass window. Yami wasn't intimidated though, he could see the mirth behind Mariku's eyes. But feeling a rare mischievous spark, he allowed the blood to drain from his face and his eyes go wide.

"Juuuuust kidding!" Mariku closed his mouth with a snap. He blinked worriedly at the orphan, "Yami? Yami? Don't freak out..." When Mariku received no response from Yami, he quirked a tan eyebrow, "Damn, did he go into cardiac arrest?" He picked up Yami's arm and let it fall limply back to his side. He pressed his ear against Yami's chest, over the place where his heart should be, "Oh Jesus..." he said with violent blasphemy, "Crap, Crap, Crap..."

Yami had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.

Yami mused that Mariku was likely a fairly young vampire and was probably on a 'vegetarian' diet. Either that or Mariku was touched in the head, a fact which had long since been proven. He obviously didn't know the difference between a person whose heart had stopped, and a person who was faking. For one thing, the person wouldn't be standing up still that was for sure...

Yami wasn't sure if he ought to point this fact out to Mariku or not; it was very entertaining to watch the distraught vampire run around in miniature circles whimpering, "I killed Yami, I killed Yami, I killed Yami!"

With reckless abandon, the orphan planted his feet shoulder width apart. He waited until Mariku turned his back and began waving his arms like a bird, screeching something about the Archangel Michael when he sprang forward and tackled Mariku to the floor. The vampire let out a surprised screech, and swiveled his head around to see who had attacked him during his mournful rant. Lavender eyes opened wide, "Yami!" The orphan scrambled to his feet, laughing at the look of rage Mariku had on his face.

"Hey, at least I'm not dead." Yami said patronizingly. Mariku stared at him, considering the human's words. Soon he leapt to his feet and gave Yami a bone crushing hug... literally. The orphan felt as though bat-man sound effects were coming from his back. KER-SPLAT! BA-BANG! There went his spine.

Again.

"Mariku..." He wheezed, arms milling wildly around the vampire. He smacked the vampire on the head until he attracted Mariku's attention.

"What –oh! Sorry!" Mariku apologized, seeing Yami's slowly turning purple-faced. He released the human who gulped grateful lung fills of air.

Yami moved to Mariku's left after the vampire let go, "So really." He gasped, wondering how long it would take a chiropractor to fix the damage to his spine, "What are you doing out of the lunch room?"

Tan eyebrows shot to the vampire's hairline, lavender eyes looking at Yami as though he matched the intelligence of a barely evolved single-celled organism, "And here I thought you were somewhat smart..." Mariku gestured towards his fangs very slowly, as though trying to explain something very simple to a very stupid child.

Yami flushed, crimson eyes narrowed, "Well, I'm ignoring the obvious reasons..." he snarled, "I meant why you weren't physically in there?"

The vampire's mouth curved into a small 'oh'. Yami rolled his eyes. This was part of the reason why the orphan preferred to avoid people, human or not. They didn't follow his odd track of mind, although he didn't blame them. Truthfully, he simply did not like people. But so far, the people he had met at Teratos High didn't irritate him beyond the point of sanity... but that wasn't saying much. Yami was very proud of himself that he hadn't killed anyone thus far.

Although the reason probably rested in the fact that anyone in this school could wipe the floor with his ass. And if they felt like it, the walls and ceiling could be cleaned with his butt as well.

Mariku turned to Yami and said something so fast Yami thought the vampire had sneezed.

"God bless you...?"

Mariku glared.

"What?"

"Bless me?" The demon snapped.

"Oh... sorry, what do I say?" Yami asked in confusion, "May Satan damn you?"

Mariku snorted, "You're being stereotypical... Human."

Oh the delicious irony... Yami pinched the bridge of his nose, "Then what do I say?"

"Nothing. I didn't sneeze."

"Oh." Yami blinked, then frowned angrily, "Then what the hell did you say!" He demanded. This conversation was beginning to give him a migraine, he was now wishing he'd gone and eaten his lunch after all...

"Have you ever tried to dine with a werewolf before?" Mariku asked. So surprised was Yami at the question, he intelligently muttered an incomprehensible, "'Huh?'"

"Have you ever tried to eat with a werewolf before?" Mariku repeated the question, this time much more slowly.

Crimson eyes looked at the ceiling in a mock attempt at thinking. Aggravating vampires. Yami looked at the vampire from the corner of his eye, "Sadly, I live in middle-earth, I can't say that I've ever knowingly eaten with a dog before."

"Werewolf." Mariku automatically corrected, "And you really ought to try it sometimes, it's disgustingly hilarious."

"Disgusting I can see, but the 'hilarious' part I'm having difficulty imagining." Yami replied, walking back towards where he remembered the front of the school to be.

"You'd have to be there to see what I mean... It's almost pure carnage... They sometimes get over excited when eating and forget to use silverware..." Mariku tapped a tan finger against his chin, "Or sometimes they just end up eating it on accident... and boy do things get interesting then!"

Yami grimaced. He wasn't sure "interesting" was the right word here…

The flash of color on the opposite wall reminded Yami of what he'd been doing before Mariku showed up, and he frowned shooting one last look at the stained glass window. Mariku caught his eye and smirked, "Are you learning about Queen Fantasia in one of your classes?" He asked Yami.

Surprised, the orphan nodded.

A dark shadow seemed to cross over Mariku's face, "I believe our history has been edited." He said quietly.

Yami looked at Mariku in surprise, "What do you mean?"

The vampire shrugged, "It's just a feeling... but there are just so many unanswered questions."

"Like what?"

The playful light re-entered the vampire's eyes and Mariku giggled, "You'll find out!!" He sang.

A bubble of frustration inflated itself in Yami's chest, "Man!" He complained, "I hate it when you do that!"

Mariku just laughed.

_**Damn**_ aggravating vampire…

The two teenagers walked on in silence until Yami saw something that made him break the silence.

"Hey Mariku?" Yami asked softly, "What's in the mausoleum?"

The students were passing the front of the building and Yami's eye had caught the stone inscription of Hades, rekindling his curiosity.

Before Mariku could open his mouth, Yami cut the vampire off, "And don't say 'evil'! Do you even realize how clichéd you sounded? I ought to have buried your head in quicksand for that comment." The orphan snipped.

Two of the Naga in the glass attendance room smiled and waved at the two passing students. They raised their hands in greeting and continued on.

Mariku glanced at the mausoleum before a violent shudder racked through his body. He rubbed his arms, trying to create heat with the friction, "Rumor says that the Living Dead dwell in there..." Mariku said lowly. He flashed Yami a grin, "Congratulations, this was the only thing Hollywood ever got right, well... besides the original _Batman_ - that movie was sheer genius."

Yami ignored the extraneous information and reeled back metaphorically from shock, "The Living Dead?" He breathed, "As in Zombies?" Mariku scratched his ear, bored. "Yes, Zombies. At least you know one of the sub-categories."

"There are others?"

Mariku pinched the bridges of his nose, rubbed his temples, and counted to ten, "Of course there are!" he said a little bit chaotically, "But as far as I know there are only three types: Zombies, which are basically the exact same thing as a human except- "

"They're dead," Yami injected.

Mariku nodded, "Yeah, and they also possess the gift of ESP."

Yami flushed in embarrassment, remembering the girl he had thought (very loudly) was stinky. She was probably a Zombie...

"The other two categories are the Living Dead and the Undead." Mariku said, "The Undead are basically just that. They're Undead, and the only thing they do is walk very slowly to their prey –which will of course, inevitably run away." Mariku shrugged, "They don't really hurt anyone, and since people die all the time everywhere, the Undead are very common. No one notices them simply because they're just too darn useless."

He walked over to the mausoleum and Yami could see a small quake in the vampire's hands.

"But the Living Dead are formed only from truly evil beings. Unlike the Undead, they can come at their prey in a dead sprint. It usually freaks the humans out, because they're expecting a slow moving Zombie. The Living Dead are able to communicate with one another, although I can't see why they'd want to… And they like to bite victims to infect them. Just in case they managed to escape. Who would then infect their friends and family. They've bitten thousands and thousands of humans, all of whom eventually turned into the Living Dead themselves, throughout history."

He shrugged, "They were eventually hunted down and mostly destroyed by some very energetic priests and angels, but no matter how hard they tried they couldn't destroy the entire race." He frowned, "That is what has been so very odd… No one has seen any of the Living Dead for eighteen years. They were rare and hard to come by, and had developed a habit of keeping to themselves, so except for a few people who wondered where they'd got to, no one ever missed them."

Yami was beginning to see where this was going, "I take it you fell under the category of 'Wondering where they'd got to'?"

Mariku nodded and grinned shakily, "Bakura and I wanted to see one for ourselves, and since the Living Dead only have the strength and speed of an average human, Bakura, a Chimera with at least the strength and speed of fifteen men, and myself, already a being of the undead with the strength that paralleled Bakura's, we thought we would be fine."

Yami, only human, just had to ask, "What happened?"

Mariku's eyes seemed to grow a darker shade, "The rumors were right," He sighed, "There were beings of the Living dead in there, but the problem was..."

A loud roar, similar to the one Yami had heard hours earlier, rang through the hallway and front entrance. The ladies in the front office barely lifted their pens. They were obviously used to the noise by now.

"The Living Dead weren't in there alone..."

Yami jumped back in surprise. "What was that thing? And why are they in there with it?"

"The Living Dead are being used as its food." Mariku muttered, looking back at the door, "The creature has been kept in there for years. It's practically starved for fresh... living meat..." He looked pointedly at Yami. Right. He was living meat. Lucky him.

The orphan shrugged, "Do you really think I'm going to skip into the crypt like a flower girl at a wedding?" He snapped sarcastically, "All I want to know is what's in there!" he paused for a moment, "And I swear, if you say 'The embodiment of evil!' I'm going to punch you."

Mariku cackled, gaining some of his old vibrancy back. Vibrancy translated to insanity in this case. Lavender eyes gleamed with Yami's challenge, "Bakura and I beheld the terrifying sight of the embodiment of evi-" Mariku's sentence was muffled by the orphan's right hand.

Now every _How to survive Vampire/ Werewolf/ Zombie Attacks_ or _Surviving Monster Attacks in General_ handbook would scream at Yami to remove his hand from the vampire's mouth. Most vampires had to constantly fight against the compulsive urge to bite human flesh when it's brought into close quarters like Yami was. The orphan could feel the long vampire fangs moisten under his fingers, and before he could think, 'Now this is odd…' Mariku's lips curled up and...

The fangs pierced through Yami's tender flesh, breaking his hand with powerful jaws in one smooth bite. Yami's blood ran into Mariku's mouth, who swallowed it greedily, overcome by his vampirism. For a moment human and vampire stared at one another identical expressions of shock on their faces.

Then the pain hit Yami with the force of a tanker truck.

The blood drained from Yami's face, and his bellows of agony were strangled in his throat only by the equally powerful waves of nausea crashing over him. He didn't know which was worse, the urge to projectile vomit, or pass out from the sheer pain of having his hand bitten through. Yami teetered on the spot until Mariku's weak arm caught him. Together, they sunk to the floor.

"Sorry..." Mariku gasped.

"Sorry?" Yami asked faintly, his head spinning dangerously, "No problem man, I get my hand broken in three places all the time..."

"The clinic can fix you up quickly." Mariku mumbled faintly. The vampire ran one hand up his throat, the other curled around his stomach.

Yami squinted through the pain induced fog, searching for Mariku. His vision was fuzzy, but he thought he could just make out the form of the vampire, crouched on the floor and doubled over in pain.

"Hey, are you alright?" Yami asked dizzily. His hand gave an angry throb, white hot fissures stung through his elbow from his hand, making his ruby eyes water. His hand was turning an odd shade of angry purple, blood pooling from half his appendage. He needed to get to the clinic quickly.

"No." Mariku said weakly, "Your blood is disgusting."

The orphan was surprised to find Mariku's iris's losing their deep purple shade; he watched them slowly turn to pale lavender.

"Mariku... your eyes..." Yami muttered, "What's wrong with them...?"

"I haven't fed off a human in five years." Mariku slurred, his black pupils beginning to contract and dilate. Each second that passed drained the lavender to white, "I guess my body rejects the blood of a mortal and converts it to a poison..." He looked at Yami, "Vampire eyes change colors depending on their health. White is... well," He smiled weakly, "Well, it's bad..."

Right on cue, the vampire kneeled over and vomited. It was charcoal black from the poison and red from Yami's blood.

"Yeah, definitely poison..." Mariku looked at Yami with lavender-tinted eyes, he looked from Yami's face to his hand, "You will be able to make it to the clinic if you hurry and leave now... I can't move." He smiled wryly at the expression on Yami's face.

"What will happen to you?" Yami asked slowly, his hand gave another throb, as though reminding him that the wound was still there and bleeding.

Mariku shrugged, "I'll 'die'." At the look Yami sent him, Mariku corrected, "I'll fall into a comatose state and never wake up..." He smirked weakly, "Does that make you feel better?"

"Not really." Yami muttered. Balancing his weight carefully, he hedged and wiggled his way over towards Mariku.

"What are you going to do?" Mariku questioned, watching Yami nudge his way towards him with faded eyes. They were only faintly tinged with purple now. Mariku's question was answered when the orphan grabbed the vampire's hand with his good arm and rolling him onto his back.

"You know you're not supposed to move a person who's been poisoned..."

"Shut the hell up." Yami grunted. His odd position and Mariku's added weight made what little blood he had left in his body, that wasn't gushing to the floor, rush to his head, giving him one of the worst headaches of his life.

Mariku was astounded, "You're not planning on _carrying_ me to the clinic are you...?"

Yami swayed, "I'm not teetering like a damn seesaw for nothing..." He growled and began to walk. Each step painful, and causing a long trail of blood to follow them, from Yami's hand, and from Mariku's occasional spurt of bloody vomit. The orphan was thrilled that the hallways were deserted. The hallways were empty, lunch was still in session. But the orphan's internal clock told him that soon the students would be released. He picked up his pace, not wanting to be caught in the wave of demons.

Yami continued walking, the pain in his hand almost completely numbing his arm. Several times Yami had to stop and vomit, unable to take the stress on his body. The punctured ligament hung uselessly by his side, as though it were no longer attached to Yami's body. Yami rounded a corner as instructed by Mariku, who once again told Yami to put him down and seek help for himself. The orphan just ignored the vampire and took his directions.

Soon Yami found the sight he searched for. A white door with a red cross emblazoned across it starkly stood out against the black granite wall. Thank mercy for universal symbols…

'I wonder why I never saw it before...' He thought idly. The edges of his vision were rimmed with black. Something, he realized vaguely, was a bad sign.

The realization came too late.

Before Yami could take another step his exhaustion crippled him, and with a last ditch effort to get Mariku to the clinic, he collapsed with the vampire tumbling sideways off his back and bumping against the door.

Then his world went black.

--::--

_**There we have it ladies and gents! Chapter seven is over. Stay tuned for chapter 8! **_

_**Please don't kill us... **_

_**Review!**_


	8. Clans

**Here's chapter eight my lovelies. I've held this chapter hostage for long enough. I swear it's not Kytrin's fault. She was a fantastic uh... Beta would be too light a term, and co-author not enough credit... But you get the idea. She got her stuff done while I was the one dragging my feet. ZB's fault. I apologize to any readers who remain! **

--::--

The bell rang and students began to pour out of the different offices and doors. They each paused upon seeing Yami and Mariku curled on the floor. Yami settled in a puddle of his own blood, and Mariku long since immobile.

Of course, that's when the screaming started.

Instantly, the nurse swung the door open, shocked to find two students bleeding and in almost comatose states right before her.

She quickly barked orders, signaling for Mariku to be carried in by two helpers, Yami was left alone for a moment, her priority being Mariku - who was dangerously close to entering a coma. After Mariku's stomach was clear and he'd been injected with a chemical to combat the venom, Yami was brought in.

The nurse sighed and prepped herself to work on a spell to stitch the holes in his hand and mend his broken bones. He would need to have his blood replenished, but he should be fine.

The nurse rubbed her temples and shooed away a couple of nosy students peeping through the window, "Why is it always so busy at Teratos?" She sighed wearily.

--::--

A flock of students stormed down the hall, none of the bodies breaking stride. Each was unstoppable in their unique way. The hall monitors were unable to stop them all, and frankly weren't sure they'd survive intact if they tried, so they turned a blind eye and pretended not to see them.

Yugi was the first to crash through the white door with a red cross emblazoned on its center. His angelic face was lined with worry, and the nurse looked up with a start.

"Yugi!" She exclaimed softly and gestured toward the several open seats lined against the wall.

"How is Mariku, Miss Serenity?" Yugi asked anxiously.

"He'll be fine. Please, sit down." She tried to smile reassuringly; although something kept her smile from reaching her eyes. She was bothered, but Yugi knew from past experiences that there was no use trying to pry the information out of Serenity when she didn't want to talk.

Serenity was hired as the only human teacher in the school. Along with nursing, she taught sports medicine and forensics to the students who were interested. But she was far from a typical, normal human. At the age of fifteen, she had discovered the ability to predict the future. Her specialty was death, and as such, she was known as 'Serenity, The Prophet of Doom'.

Not a particularly glamorous or complimentary title, but the ability was useful as all hell. Serenity had also proved to be quite apt at the healing arts.

She nodded once, smiling softly, "He'll be fine." She repeated, "It was a close call though."

"What happened?" Yugi took the seat closest to Mariku's bed.

"Well-"

The door slammed open, Joey and Bakura each tried to squeeze into the room at the same time.

"Ah! Move it!"

"Quit! Let go!"

"I was here first!"

"Guys!" Yugi whispered sharply, exasperated, "He's sleeping, and you're going to wake him up!" He pointed at Mariku's pale, but peaceful face, He was in a deep untroubled slumber. It was scary for the vampire.

Bakura and Joey instantly quieted, shushing themselves and tip-toeing into the room. They took their place by Yugi, first Bakura, and then Joey. Seto walked in slowly, the most civilized being in the group of friends. He took his seat beside Joey and scooped the blonde's hand in a possessive grip. Which, for Seto, translated to an anxious one.

"What happened?" he demanded, cold eyes narrowed in anger. Yugi recognized that tone and expression Seto used. It was his: 'I'm really worried, but I'm trying to play it off as irritation' voice.

The nurse signed and stood up, "Are there any more of you?" She asked crossly.

Yugi smiled sheepishly, "No this it, there are no more of us."

Serenity nodded, "Good, because I don't feel like having to explain this again." She pulled aside the second curtain, revealing Yami in a drug-induced sleep. Thick bandages covered his left hand, a blood bag fed into his left elbow and an IV drip was attached to the veins of his hand.

There was dead silence before a collective gasp echoed around the room, and a rather loud curse from Bakura.

"What happened to him?" Joey asked, "He looks like he's had better days..." he looked at Yami, then Mariku, "They didn't... fight did they?" The werewolf cracked his knuckles, "Because if he did this to Mariku, I'm ripping that IV out of him and shoving it straight up his-..."

"Joey!" Serenity said sharply, "This boy just saved Mariku's life!"

Joey eyed her skeptically, "No way." He said flatly.

"Yes way." Serenity replied, doing a tolerable impression of a growl.

Joey scowled, "Even _if_ a human was strong enough to haul Mariku here, why would he risk his neck, literally, for a vampire?"

"Because he's one of us." Bakura growled, a look of anxiety on his face, "I marked him this morning."

"You _what_!"

Bakura glared sharply at his beta, "I said I marked him."

"But why…"

Yugi stood up from his seat, ignoring his, quietly, arguing clansmen, crossed over to Yami, though some impetus he didn't really understand, and stood there watching him. He allowed his hand to hover a few inches above the human's forehead. He could not bring himself to feel joy that Yami had saved Mariku. He couldn't even force himself to be glad they were both in good care. He was much more worried about the human's health. Sleeper or not, Yami was still at least mostly human, and humans were notoriously fragile creatures, physically, when compared to demons, and Yugi had no way of knowing how much stamina Yami actually had.

A sharp pain constricted his chest and the incubi's fingers rested gently on Yami's clammy forehead. He brushed the thick golden locks of hair out of his face, marveling at the human's beauty even while strapped to a gurney with tubes feeding into his arms. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to see the human's ruby orbs open again. Or to hear him make a sarcastic comment that would leave Yugi biting back giggles.

"What happened to Yami?" Yugi asked softly. His eyes never left the human's face, enraptured by the untroubled expression Yami wore. Beautiful. Yugi's fingers traced a star on the human's skin. He suddenly had to fight against the insane yearning to run his hand along Yami's cheek and bury his face in the mortal's multi-colored hair.

Startled by the thought, Yugi saw the close proximity his hand had with Yami and he yanked his arm back with so much force, his shoulder cracked in protest.

"From what I can tell Mariku bit Yami clean through his right hand, and shattered the bone, so of course, he consequently drew blood." Serenity began, quite as if she hadn't noticed the young incubus' reaction to the human, but she was cut off from a soft groan from Bakura.

"He drank his blood didn't he?"

"Excuse me?" Joey asked in confusion, "Who drank who's blood?"

"Mariku." Russet eyes looked at the nurse flatly, "Mariku drank some of Yami's blood didn't he?"

"What's so wrong with that?" Joey shrugged, "He's a vampire isn't he? He drinks blood all the time."

"Animal blood." Yugi corrected, "Mariku hasn't drunk human blood in such a long time, and it probably wreaked havoc on his innards." Joey winced.

"So you're saying that Yami's blood poisoned Mariku?" Joey asked, exasperated.

Serenity nodded, a dark expression on her face, "That's what it looks like." She muttered. The group looked at her, but she ignored them and checked the clear bag dripping nutrients into Yami's replenished blood stream. He groaned and flopped sideways on his cot.

"How did they get here?" Yugi asked, deep down inside he already knew the answer. He walked towards Mariku's side this time; he didn't trust himself near Yami's bed again.

"Mariku carried the bleeding human right?" Joey said confidently, "They're fragile, eh? Mariku's tough. A little poisoning wouldn't mess him up too badly!"

Serenity rolled her eyes and Seto sighed, "Mutt, just sit down and look pretty. There's nothing you can do or say in this situation."

"Eh? What do you mean? In a fight between a vampire and a human, a vampire would win, right?" Joey defended, offended by the frankness of Seto's insult, "And I'm not a Mutt!" He bristled.

Seto rolled his eyes. There was no use explaining the tough mental barriers humans erected, the stubborn will, and the selfishness and evil which dwelled in each man's heart. There was no denying the physical strength, but in a battle of will, humans would always survive and prosper. They were like the worst kind of cockroaches.

Probably why the species had survived for so long…

Yet sometimes, that wasn't a bad thing. Sometimes humans were stubborn in the ways of good. Like fire fighters, or police officers. Charity workers, perhaps even gifted humans like Nurse Serenity. All of those were good humans. Maybe Yami fell under that category as well: stubborn and proud, but essentially good at heart.

"Yami carried Mariku." Serenity pulled off her latex gloves and washed her hands. Yugi, Bakura, and Seto weren't surprised, at least not horribly, but Joey certainly was.

"What?" Joey exclaimed, "How is that even possible!?"

Serenity shot the werewolf a cold look, "Mr. Wheeler, you seem to be under the impression that humans aren't capable of basic survival."

Blushing red, the werewolf stammered, "I never said that, I just meant-"

"Compared to a human," Serenity's eyes narrowed, "A vampire should be superior in strength and agility, correct?"

"Yeah! Wait! I mean- no! ...huh?" Joey frowned. "I'm confused..." He mumbled, sitting back down.

"Puppy, what she means to say is that humans are capable of taking care of themselves." Seto smirked, "Or in case you haven't noticed, I used to be a human and I can easily get you to bare your throat to me."

Joey blushed bright red, ducking his shaggy blond head in his hands, "I plead the fifth..." He mumbled.

"That's what I thought."

Bakura frowned thoughtfully, "How do you know that Yami carried him?" He gestured towards his unconscious friend. "It could have been the other way around."

Serenity pulled out another pair of latex gloves and stretched them over her hands, "Mariku was found next to the door with his back facing it. Yami was found in front of him. Their positions suggest that Yami sat Mariku down before passing out himself. Certainly the corroborating evidence supports that."

Bakura just nodded, a feeling of pride washing through him, damn, but he'd found a good addition to their clan.

A soft groan came from Yami's bed again, and his eyelids began to twitch and flutter. Automatically, all eyes were glued to him until the orphan rose slowly from his cot.

"Ugh, damn I have a hangover from hell..." Came a slurred comment. Subconsciously, he reached up with his right hand and pressed it against his forehead... only to pull it back and yelp in pain. Memories of what had happened to him came flooding back to him, and Yami was truthfully surprised to find himself alive and... Well, better than he was.

"Knocking your hand against anything might not be wise." Serenity quirked an eyebrow from the sink, "Pain killers can only go so far, so try not to move it."

"Really now," Yami grunted hazily, "I couldn't tell." The orphans crimson eyes glared angrily at the late notice. He sat up and swung his long legs off the cot, invoking cries from nearly everyone in the room.

"Get your ass back in that bed!"

"You'll hurt yourself!"

"Take it easy man!"

Startled, Yami looked up, having just noticed the presence of the four students, "What are all you guys doing here?" He glanced over at Mariku, "Oh, him. Is he alright?"

Yugi marched up towards Yami and shoved him back into the bed, "Lay back down!" He ordered sharply, and with more heat than he had intended to speak with. Yami looked at the small teenager stunned, and with growing anger, and Yugi, remembering his manners, gritted out a half audible, "Please."

"Well I'm already lying down again." Yami replied, perplexed by the incubi's actions, "So how's Mariku?"

"I flushed out his stomach and gave him an antidote." The nurse replied shortly, "He ought to be fine, but he hasn't woken up since I administered the shot." She added hesitantly, a little worried

"He's probably just sleeping then." Bakura injected, "He sleeps more than the Greek god of night."

Yami ignored the conversation and gave his hand an experimental flex. The nurse, catching sight of what he was doing, crossed the room with a furious stomp, "What are you doing! Didn't I just tell you not to move that hand?" she demanded. Yami stared at her before giving his hand another good flex just to irritate her.

"The bone isn't broken anymore," Yami looked at his elbow, "But could you please take these things out of my arm?" he pointed at the IV and all the random tubing, "They're driving me nuts."

Once Yami was completely tube free - with a few more pierced marks, courtesy of an aggravated healer, than he had when he first entered, Serenity walked towards the desk and picked up her phone, "What's your parents' phone number?" She asked.

"Why?" Yami asked suspiciously. The last thing he was interested in was dealing with his so called 'parents' right now. The demons stared at him in surprise.

"Because they have to come pick you up now." she replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Yami glared, probably more harshly than he intended, "No, don't call them."

Serenity was baffled, "But you need to go home."

"I can survive for the rest of the day."

The other students were now staring at Yami in curiosity. Why didn't Yami want to call his parents? Was there trouble at home?

"Don't be silly." Serenity picked up the headset and dialed out, "What's your number?"

A strange expression crossed Yami's face before he mumbled, "404-382-5968." A small smirk working it way across his face.

Serenity dialed the number, and instead of the orphan's parents picking up the phone, it was a rude recording on rejection hotline.

Red faced and angry, Serenity whirled on Yami, "What. Is. Your. Number?"

The orphan brushed her off, "Sorry. You're not my type." A snort escaped him and he laughed drunkenly.

Serenity threw her hands in the air, "I knew I shouldn't have dripped morphine into that IV!" She snapped. The students looked at her.

"Is that even legal?" Bakura demanded, "Can't that kill a human?"

Serenity shrugged, "It depends on how much is given to a patent, but in high doses it could kill not only a mortal but a demon as well."

Yugi was alarmed. His head snapped over towards Serenity while Yami was busy staring dreamily at a crack in the wall, "Then why did you give it to him?"

One of the nurse's slender eyebrows shot to her hairline, "If you were a human with your hand broken in three places, and bitten through, you'd be begging me on a bended knee to shoot you up with the highest dose of morphine available."

Yami stood back up and walked towards the door.

"Well, Yami seems lucid enough..."

The human's hand missed the door knob. Yami tried two more times, and on the fourth attempt, he growled in frustration. "Someone open the stupid door!"

"But as you can see the morphine makes him disagreeable, slightly high, and lacking of proper motor skills."

Seto's eyebrows curved into a harsh 'V,' "Isn't morphine considered a Class 'A' drug?" He said flatly, in more a statement then a question. Joey tilted his head to the side, "Is that bad?"

"Let's just say it's fairly illegal to administer it at a school." Seto said frankly, "Or for that matter, anywhere other than a hospital."

Serenity crossed her arms and scowled, "Don't attempt to guilt trip me! I did what I had to do." Yami walked over towards a chair and tried to sit down, landing on the armrest instead. He cursed loudly, "It might have been wrong to give him a drug that was designed for Demons... but-"

The students started, "You didn't use human morphine!" Bakura snapped. Serenity looked a little bit disconcerted by the heat in the Chimera's statement. Prophet or not, she was still human, and as such, wasn't especially interested in pissing of the leader of the most powerful clan at Teratos.

"I work in a school for demons, what made you think I'd be prepared for a human emergency?" Serenity replied shakily. Her eyes seemed to darken when she looked at Yami; the human was still ignoring everyone, this time keeping his palms pressed against his eyes.

"You're the nurse, you have healing magic!" Yugi exclaimed angrily, "Now you gave Yami a highly addictive drug, without knowing if he has any allergies or whether his parents would approve! Now he's only lucid enough to curse and make smart remarks! I bet he can barely pee in a straight line now!"

"What do you want me to say?" Serenity snapped, "His hand was a mangled mess. Hell, it didn't even look like a hand when I first got ahold of it."

"It wasn't a clean or pretty bite you know." She huffed, "Mariku ripped his fangs out after they had already enlarged from bloodlust - he was too hasty to remove them from Yami's hand. I can only assume the shock numbed Yami completely. Because, as far as I can tell, he should not have been able to move from the place he was bitten. I can hardly imagine him carrying himself and Mariku to the infirmary." She smirked, "That's human mulishness for you."

"You didn't answer my question!" Yugi snapped, "Why didn't you use healing magic on him?"

"His body rejected my magic alright!" She burst out angrily, "It's never happened before, and it works on humans and demons equally, but his body just wouldn't cooperate!" She sighed, "Fortunately, once he took the pain killer, I was able to heal him... for the most part."

She paused, thinking. "The shock and massive amounts of adrenaline pumping through his blood must have been what disrupted the flow of my magic."

Yami shrugged, "I wouldn't be able to tell you the answer to that very good question." He gazed at the ceiling, crossing his arms, "I don't even know how I made it here." He snickered, "Probably with Mariku's directions and all his profanities hissing in my ear..."

The demons started, unaware that Yami had been listening to the conversation, all the while being able to understand what they were talking about. He smirked dryly at their expressions.

"I'm not_ that_ high." He muttered and rapped on his skull, "Still lucid enough to tell you not to look too deeply into this crap. He bit me, got sick, so I carried him over here. End of story, we live happily ever after, ta-da." He sighed, "Just forget about it. Don't be shocked that your demonic, witch, healing, whatever magic didn't work on me. I'm a jerk. It probably didn't like me." He said crossly, and it was at about this point that the group decided Yami was, most likely, higher than a kite, "I just want to convince myself that none of this ever happened."

The group nodded, but Serenity frowned, "Maybe, that's probably the best decision for everyone. Forgetting about everything." She said this meaningfully.

The group stared at the prophet, unsettled by her words, but Yami took it in stride.

"Thanks for the words of wisdom." Yami quipped, squinting, "But when will I be allowed to get out of here- ?"

The door burst open again and two unexpected people stormed into the room. Yami blinked at them dazedly. What were they doing here? He knew Serenity hadn't been able to call him.

"Mariku!" Marilyn gasped, rushing over to the vampire's bed immediately, as if she had known where he would be before hand. Yami wasn't sure if he should be amused or insulted. She turned towards Serenity, "What happened?" The million dollar question.

It was a question Yami wasn't paying attention to. He was far to busy trying to figure out why the Sobeks would be here at all; much less care about Mariku. His eyes widened in sudden, horrifying, realization. The school. The school _they_ had signed him up for. The one chock full of demons. The one where he'd been nearly molested and killed! The one where he'd been subjected to stereotyping and prejudices all day! And now they were here fluttering over Mariku seemingly unaware, or uncaring, that their 'son' was sitting here pumped full of morphine his hand having recently been broken in three places!

'_Those bastards!'_ He thought indignantly, _'They set me up! They_ knew _about all of this and they set me up!'_

Indignation abruptly morphed into furious outrage.

You!" He roared, leaping to his feet.

The others started; surprised at the ferocity Yami spoke with.

Marilyn and Cobalt spun around in shock.

"Yami, Why are you here? Why aren't you in class?"

The orphan snorted before raising his voice an octave, "By 'here' do you mean this clinic, or this fucking school?" The last words ended in a shout.

Mariku, finally waking from all the noise, gave a garbled snort. He opened bleary eyes and Bakura's worried face filled his vision.

"You okay?" The chimera grunted.

"I'd be better without your ugly mug in my face." The vampire wheezed; lightly shoving his best friend out of the way so he could sit up. He heard a sound somewhere between a snort and a snicker, and tossed Bakura a grin when a strong hand appeared on his back pushing him gently into the position he wanted. However, anything he might've said was forgotten at the scene being enacted before him.

Standing in the middle of the room, looking both surprised and guilty, was his sister and brother-in-law. Now, this alone wouldn't have surprised the vampire particularly. What shocked him was the sight of Yami, in a towering rage, squared off against them.

"Isis? Shadi? Wha-?" He began before Bakura squeezed his arm in their old signal for him to be quiet. Glancing over at his friend in confusion he was even more surprised to find the chimera watching the scene with avid interest. Just what was going on here?

He was not the only one totally unprepared for what happened next.

"What does he mean 'Isis' and 'Shadi'?" Yami growled dangerously at his 'parents', "Wait, let me guess… those are your real names aren't they?"

"Yami, please, we can explain…" Isis began nervously.

"Explain what?" The human bellowed, "Just what is it you think you can explain huh? How you barged into the orphanage and threatened everyone there if I didn't go with you? How you sent me to this godforsaken place without so much as a warning?" He paused for a breath, "Do you have any idea the kind of crap I've gone through today thanks to you assholes!" He roared.

"Yami, it's not what you think…"

"Not what I think? Not what I think!" Yami snarled, "You fucking _lied_ to me you bastards! You threatened to close down the orphanage!" The rest of the clan watched in mute shock and horror as Yami, red eyes nearly glowing in his fury, blindly snatched up one of the waiting room chairs and flung it at them. Mariku made an abortive attempt to get up, but quickly settled down when Shadi and Isis calmly dodged the wildly thrown object, "You threatened to turn them out onto the streets! You… heartless…" He trailed off shaking his head.

The others waited with baited breath to see what their, apparent, clansmen would do next.

The human suddenly let out a bark of bitter laughter, "I knew it…" He mumbled quietly, "I just knew it was too good to be true." He looked up at the Sobeks bitterness, rage, and disappointment clear, "You're just like the rest of them. Lying, manipulative, arrogant bastards. Don't care about anyone but yourselves." He growled poisonously, "Can't believe I actually thought you might be different…"

Not a word was spoken as Yami's flushed face suddenly went pale, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he crumpled where he stood; the morphine and adrenaline having finally exhausted his system.

For a long moment no one moved. Then Bakura slowly stood up, and all eyes turned to him. The white chimera's gaze flicked between the prone human and the stunned pair in the center of the room.

"Yugi. Joey." The two named snapped to attention, "Pick him up and put him on one of the beds." The chimera ordered. Incubus and werewolf obeyed without a moment's hesitation or protest. Although it was rare for Bakura to exercise the position, he _was_ their clan leader, and from the look on his face he was _not_ happy about what he'd just learned.

"Bakura, please listen to us." Isis pleaded.

The chimera quirked an eyebrow at her and crossed his arms, "You adopted a human under false pretenses, you threatened his human clan, and you threw him into our world without knowledge of what he was up against. An action that would have gotten him killed had Mariku and I not decided he would make a worthy initiate." He said with deadly calm, "Further, you did so without scent marking him, or informing the rest of us." His eyes narrowed, "I'm just dying to hear this explanation of yours."

Isis winced, but Shadi stepped forward, "He's my charge Bakura."

Bakura blinked, "He's what?"

Well _that_ derailed him a bit.

"My charge." The guardian angel replied evenly, "We'd intended to let you know sooner, and introduce him into this slowly, but there were delays in our move, and you were still tied up with Aname." He shrugged, "We had no way to reach you."

"Why didn't you just wait to adopt him until after we were all back in town then?" Seto asked.

Shadi shook his head, "That wasn't possible either. I'd received word that he was going to be adopted again soon." The angel scowled, "I am his guardian." He glared at the demons defiantly, "And I was not about to let him suffer at the hands of those 'people' any longer. I had to get him out of there, and adopting him as soon as possible was the only way."

"By threatening him and the kids at his orphanage?" Yugi asked indignantly.

"Well what else were we supposed to do?" Shadi snapped, "I'm sure by now you've noticed he's more than a little stubborn and hard headed. He sure as hell wasn't going to come quietly, so we had to force his compliance."

"By turning them out on the street?" Yugi shot back, "What would you have done if he hadn't fallen for your bluff?"

"We would've built a new orphanage for those kids to go to Yugi." Isis spoke up putting a restraining hand on her mate's shoulder, "Or something like it." She eyed Yugi reprovingly, "Surely you don't think we would've done anything to _harm_ them do you?"

Yugi flushed in embarrassment, "Ah, no Isis… I don't… just…" He trailed off his cheeks burning.

The female vampire smiled gently, "It's alright Yugi. I quite understand."

"I'm not sure he's going to though." Joey spoke up eyeing Yami thoughtfully, "He may not be a demon, but from the looks of things he's got all the attitudes of one." He gave Isis and Shadi a hard look, "An' good intentions or not you two fucked up. Royally. His trust's been destroyed, an' I don't think rebuilding it will be easy."

Isis sighed, "I know."

Bakura sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "You're damn good at mucking up demonic protocol you know that angel?" The glare he threw Shadi was more exasperated than anything, and Shadi smirked back.

"Well someone has to. You demons are entirely too stuffy about your clan rules."

Bakura snorted and threw up his hands in surrender, "Alright, a point goes towards heaven's stupid plans on the chalkboard of life." He looked pointedly at Shadi.

Bakura was aware of a Guardian Angel's attachment to their charge. They were meant to protect and guide them, never making contact, but for Shadi to act so rashly... That meant there was something going on behind the scenes concerning the clan's new packmate. The Chimera brushed the thought aside. For now.

Isis flicked her eyes back towards Mariku, who was doing a poor job of blending into his cot. "Yes, and as far as stupidity goes-" Her eyes narrowed to slits. "-What stupidity landed my dear brother here now?"

Everyone saw the change in subject for what it was. A change in subject. Go figure.

Mariku cringed, an expression of shame etched in his purple eyes. They were just beginning to return to their original shade of deep lavender, "I can explain Isis..." He muttered, embarrassed. The vampire looked down, avoiding his sister's eyes, "I bit Yami."

His sister closed her blue eyes, the skin on her face drawing tight, "Mariku..." she whispered, "Tell me you're lying..."

The vampire gazed at his sister, humiliation evident, "It's not like I meant to..."

"Do you have any idea how venomous Yami's blood is?" Shadi snapped, and a sharp look was directed at him by Isis. The foster father continued, "You haven't drunk human blood in years, what made you think you could do it now?"

"I think it's time that we take you and Yami home." Isis gestured for Mariku to climb out of the cot. The vampire frowned, "But I don't want to go home!" He whined, "I don't like it there..."

"You know you have to stay there until you graduate Mariku, it's just a little longer." Isis said patiently, "Then you can live wherever you want, even on New McEver Road with the rest of the demons who commute."

Mariku pouted and Isis felt a surge of sympathy for him. Unfortunately it couldn't be helped. Teratos High was essentially a magical finishing school. It was meant for demons and angels alike who wanted to integrate into the human world. Without a diploma from Teratos High, one technically wasn't allowed to live in the human world. However that didn't stop a large portion of demons and angels alike from sneaking there regardless. Most members of the clan had lived illegally in the human world for years before attending Teratos in fact. But that did not mean Isis was going to let her brother break the rules. Not this time.

Reluctantly Mariku got off the bed and stood by his sister, the thought of living in middle earth seemed to brighten his spirits; even if it was only slightly. He moved over to where his "nephew" was still out cold and shook his head fondly as he hefted the limp form into his arms. His gaze traveled down to where Yami's hand, still bandaged from before, lay, and his eyes softened.

"I'm sorry Yami." The vampire murmured to the sleeping human, "I know you don't trust us now… but you'll see." He eyed Bakura out of the corner of his eye. The chimera just smirked and nodded fractionally. Mariku gave his friend a small smile and returned his attention to the sleeping human, "Welcome to our clan Yami. I promise you won't regret this."

An hour later the Sobeks pulled into their driveway thankful that their PR had managed to keep the reporters away. Not even the most intrepid reporter cared to argue with a demon no matter how disguised he was. Sighing softly Isis looked at her husband; whose green eyes met her gaze worriedly.

"What should we do?" Shadi asked in a soft whisper. He unbuckled his seatbelt and spoke in urgent tones, "We have to tell him the truth. If we don't we may never gain his trust."

Isis shook her head, "We must remain silent about this matter, if word were to get loose..." She glanced at her foster son, concerned. "So far, he has been deceptively pure."

"That's all damn well and good," He looked seriously at Isis, "But we can't keep playing with fire! We have to tell him," The man looked down at their entwined hands and continued in a softer tone. "If we never tell him the absolute, honest truth," His green eyes shifted up his wife's tan arm, glancing up towards her face, "He will never learn how to trust..."

Isis squeezed his hand tightly, "We are here to provide him a family," Her sapphire eyes glittered with their unspoken troubles, "We're going to show him the good side of life."

"But he views it as a sham!" Shadi growled. He glanced out the tinted window, "And well he should! This life on New McEver road is a lie, and he knows it." He sighed, "Let's face it Isis… we screwed up. What little trust he had in us before is gone, and I don't know if we can get it back."

He glanced in the rearview mirror at the still sleeping Yami, and felt his heart twist. So similar to Mahaado… so very much alike… He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt Isis gently direct his gaze to her, and pull him into a loving kiss.

"Stop it." She commanded giving him a whack upside the head, "Trust can be rebuilt. You know that. We will get him back. We will just have to be patient." She smirked, "And I very much doubt Bakura and the others will stand idly by while we wait."

"That's true…" Shadi mused, "I wonder what impressed them so much."

Isis shrugged, "There's no telling at this point. But whatever he did I'm glad they accepted him." She hadn't told Shadi how much deceiving her clan had bothered her, but from the look on the angel's face he already knew. He squeezed her hand in silent apology and she gave him a grateful look.

"It will be alright." She assured him, unbuckling her own seat belt. Her husband looked at her before smiling wryly.

"Is that a prediction?" He asked the vampire. She smiled and for the first time since this whole adopting business came around, Shadi could see Isis's two tiny fangs poking out from her lower lip.

"It's close enough that it could be considered as one." She replied. The woman then raised her finger to lips gesturing towards Yami; who was showing signs of stirring at last.

The orphan groaned a little before opening tired red eyes. The morphine had almost completely drained itself from his system, leaving the human with the tiring after effects one experiences when they are high for the first time.

"Where are we?" He slurred, one eyelid drooping lower than the other. Isis gave him a calm smile.

"We're at home."

The orphan's brow creased slightly. In his muddled, drug fogged mind Yami had trouble grasping the concept of 'home'. It had a profound effect on him, and an undesirable surge of elation stole through the human. He honestly didn't want to be happy. He really didn't. But looking through fairy dusted eyes; the orphan saw everything he ever wanted. Even though his 'parents' had deceived him, and consisted of an odd mix of a vampire and a lord-knows-what, they were still parents, and he still had a home.

A tiny part of Yami's comatose mind rebelled against such pansy thoughts, warning him that when this tiny bubble of hope burst, Yami would suffer a very painful blow. But Yami, in his post-angry state of mind, pushed those nay saying thoughts aside for the moment and lived as he had always wanted to live.

He smiled hesitantly at the vampire and jerked his head once in a drunken nod, "Spectacular."

--::--

Yami roamed through the white Victorian house, shying away from the staircase. He didn't want to tempt fate twice in one day, a single near death experience was fine by him thanks. If he was being specific, he had already tempted death roughly three times already. But who was counting?

Shadi rounded the corner, almost bumping into Yami. Noticing the scowl on the orphan's face, he figured that the morphine and all of its side effects must have worn off leaving Yami behind in all of his foul-tempered glory. Shadi, being Shadi, decided to poke the gaping bloody wound in Yami's pride with a salty finger by putting on the parental act that he knew would get on any child's nerves if they had just gotten their hand almost chewed off.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" He inquired. The effect was almost instantaneous. Yami's cheeks burned red with such morbid humiliation Shadi felt slightly bad; if only slightly. He was actually worried about his adoptive son. Some of the color had returned to Yami's face, but it still hadn't reached the deep caramel shade that would make any girl jealous.

"Go on to bed, you don't want Isis to worry, do you?" Shadi said with a straight face. The usually independent teenager was stunned. Yami wasn't used to people telling him what to do and when to go to bed. He raised his hand and then let it fall. Raised it again, but let it fall. Red eyes looked at Shadi with an expression of bafflement. Yami opened his mouth and closed it, repeating a process similar to his hand motions. He really wanted to glare at Shadi and tell him where he could stick his prestigious thoughts of concern, but Yami was still far too tired and hellishly confused to do a damn thing.

Now concerned, Shadi slowly raised an eyebrow, beginning to feel threads of remorse tighten around his conscious like a noose. He heard few strangled squeaks come from the proverbial angel sitting on his shoulder, and decided to have mercy on his charge, "You see Yami," He stepped behind Yami and began pushing him up the stairs, "You need rest, you're making odd hand gestures at me, and not the kind I'm used to..."

Not finding himself able to reply, Yami chose to comply with his foster father's wishes and focused his concentration on trying to walk up the stairs at a reasonable pace. The last thing he wanted was Shadi - who was beginning to show an admirable sadistic streak for an angel - to find out about his paralyzing fear of walking up and down stairs.

Unfortunately, Shadi didn't appreciate Yami's efforts, "Can we possibly get to the middle landing some time before Thanksgiving?" He demanded in aggravation.

"What?" Yami shot back, "It's not like you're in any kind of hurry!" He took another grandfatherly slow step. Shadi breathed heavily through his nose.

"Are you kidding me?" He gritted through clenched teeth. Several thoughts ran through his head, ones that consisted of Yami deliberately walking unhurriedly up the stairs as an incredibly evil form of torture for the angel, although the idea was dismissed when he saw Yami's hand firmly gripping the safety rail and the dead set look of deep concentration on the orphan's face. It was as though Yami was absorbed with walking up the stairs and walking alone. A strange thought occurred to the guardian, _'__Is Yami afraid of stairs?__'_

If he was afraid, the orphan wasn't doing a good job at hiding it. Shadi let go of Yami's back experimentally and Yami, without Shadi support, clung onto the stair rail like a life line. The angel looked at the orphan in undiluted shock. Yami grunted at the bald man, glaring at him in through ruby slits, almost daring him to ask him any questions about his actions. Shadi took the bait anyway.

"Are you afraid of heights?" He asked, leaning against the white wall across from Yami. The orphan shook his head, "No." He growled shortly. Of course not, they were only three steps up.

Shadi frowned, "Are you afraid of ledges?"

"No."

"Wood?"

"No."

Shadi was confused, "Then what are you afraid of? Why can't you climb stairs at a regular pace?" He demanded. Ruby eyes turned towards him. There were so many reasons why Yami refused to climb stairs. He'd been pushed, tripped, stumbled, and tried to escape down them. And that didn't even cover the times they'd broken, cracked, or otherwise threatened Yami's life due to lousy structural integrity. Yami tilted his head, deciding not to tell Shadi the whole truth.

"Stairs and I don't agree with one another."

Shadi frowned, but accepted this as a valid argument. "Would you like to be moved to one of the rooms on the lower level?" He asked. The look of relief shone in Yami's eyes, although the orphan tried desperately to hide his gratitude. The guardian smiled to himself pleased that he'd managed to find _something_ to show Yami, at least a little, that he wasn't the evil bastard his son thought he was.

"I'll speak to Isis about it." Shadi turned around and began descending the three steps Yami had taken. He paused, "Do you need help getting down?" He extended a hand towards the orphan, who looked at it warily.

Yami shook his head uneasily, "No. I don't need your help!" He snapped. He hadn't forgotten the episode in the clinic, and was still wary of these people and their motives. Shadi just smirked. He recognized the tone of unease behind his foster son's words, and let it go. He knew that, trust issues aside, Yami wasn't used to the hand of kindness being shown to him, but he also knew that eventually Yami would tentatively reach out to him as well.

And when that moment came, Shadi would jump at the chance.


	9. Breaking and Entering

_**What the hell is this – an update? Jesus Christ, for real?! Things should be speeding up again now that the hellish march of November is done with. **_

_**This fic has been giving me guilt nightmares, so to ease that, I'm going to finish this damn story. Also, this chapter is where you'll begin to see the major changes from the original Teratos, assuming I still have some of the readers from the original version left. **_

--::--

It was Tuesday and, so far, Anzu was not having a good day. She was the school whore, a succubus to the highest degree. With her black leathery wings poking out from her backless top and a short pleated skirt that rode up in all the right (or wrong) places, Anzu was considered a walking weapon. Modesty for Anzu was considered an art form. Something not really needed, but looked at with detached amusement.

Now, normally, she would prance through the Teratos hallways seductively eyeing the males of the school (even the mated ones); certain her charm could bag her any of them if she so chose. Though, naturally, she didn't. She knew she deserved only the best, and the best was all she got. Nor was she shy about letting everyone else know that.

That was normally…

Today she was out for blood.

She swept through the school's hallways, her every day bag by Louis Vitton clenched in her fist and her highly polished stiletto heels clicking on the onyx stone in a rapid progression. Even the other students, coming in with coffee filled thermos, sleepy-eyed, and irritable, instantly backed away from the storming girl. No one wanted a firm kick in the ass with a stiletto heel that early in the morning.

After she had left her house in middle-earth Buckhead, she had found she had managed to chip her pink poesy colored toes on the concrete outside. Screaming about the injustice of concrete driveways and the injustice of living in such a crappy place, she ranted until she was short of breath. She had then found that the vast amount of complaining had expended the breath she held in smoke eroded lungs. The results of which, made her exhausted and with the beginnings of a migraine. Naturally, this incurred her wrath again, and the ugly cycle repeated once more.

When she had finally realized she was about to be late, she had jumped into a shiny sports car that was stolen from the auto salesman she'd slept with. He was dead now, naturally, so he wasn't able to report the car as stolen. On her way to school, she ran several red lights and was eventually pulled over by an angry police officer whom she'd had to seduce into allowing her to pass through unhindered. (She'd been careful not to kill that one. Cops tended to be as clannish and vengeful as demons. A headache she did _not_ need.)

After reaching Teratos, she had parked her luxury Jaguar XF haphazardly between a rickety 1981 Toyota Starlet and a shiny red 2002 Nissan Maxima. She had just received her parking space today, and boy was she pissed when she saw who she had the pleasure of parking next to every day for the rest of the school year. Those poor bastards didn't know what was going to befall them.

"Now the Nissan isn't so bad, I could stand parking next to that mediocre piece of trash, but that Starlet…" She pretended to gag, "I can't believe the school had the nerve to put me next to an abomination such as that!" Anzu complained about her petty issue to the one person she knew would listen: Ushio, her boyfriend.

The gigantic demon really couldn't bring himself to care an exuberant amount about Anzu's parking troubles. The conversation bored him so he took to digging at the built up wax in his ear. Anzu crinkled her nose, "You're such a brute..."

Ushio ignored her half-hearted insult and glared at a few freshmen who were ogling at his girlfriend's obvious and fully displayed curves.

"Get out of here you little horn dogs!" he snarled.

The freshmen jumped, intimidated by the large demon.

Ushio was the only pure bred demon left in the magical plane, hoisting the teenager up as one of the most feared and respected figures ever to step forth in Teratos High. This gave him a sort of regal standing, diplomatic immunity, and an incredibly swelled head. Clans clambered over each other in their eagerness to impress him enough to join them. He never did. He'd always felt himself to be too good for clans. He was large, strong, and magically the most powerful thing at Teratos. Still, despite all that, he was to be pitied.

When he was barely a year old, his parents had been killed by blood thirsty humans. When the mortals had murdered two of the most respected figures in demonic society, many had eagerly fought with each other to adopt the demon child. But, despite having been taken in by one of the wealthiest families Hell had to offer, none had been able to match his parents in strength and status.

Since his parents had been considered the Lord and Lady of Hell, they'd had tea time with Beelzebub and went golfing with Lucifer on Sundays. Both were fallen angels, not true demons like Ushio and his parents, but every bit as ruthless and evil. It was a mark of extreme status to be allowed to associate with the two Fallen at all; much less be considered friends. (A status his adoptive parents simply had not possessed.) Had his parents survived, he wouldn't have needed to raise a pinky throughout his entire life. As it was, despite growing up spoiled and powerful, Ushio wanted more. He had a powerful need to prove he was every bit as powerful as his parents had been and reclaim their former status. More than that, he wanted his very name to send tremors of fear coursing through humans and demons alike.

"You ought to wear more clothes," Ushio snarled and wrapped a possessive arm around Anzu's bare midriff, "You only need to dress this way for me."

Anzu resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She truthfully wasn't interested in Ushio, but he had proved to be a convenient source of food and status. Having sex with the demon kept the sheen in Anzu's hair and the bounce in her stiletto clad feet. There was only one other sex demon that attended Teratos, and he was the only man Anzu had ever truly desired.

Yugi the incubus, the student who starved his body of its basic needs because it went against his moral code. He was the only man who'd ever kept Anzu at arms length. And for that alone he tantalized her. More than anything she wanted to be Yugi's permanent lover if not his mate. But he refused to allow himself to tempt fate and sleep with her. Even to the point of openly denying her.

Her black blood seared with anger. How could anyone refuse her? It was unseemly, unthinkable, and most of all, it was insulting.

"I only dress this way for you." Anzu purred manipulatively, walking two fingers from his chest up to his chin. She ran one white finger across his nose; it was misshapen, probably from being broken once before. Anzu hid a grimace and planted a kiss on his lips, "So why are you complaining?" Her hair was plaited into a long brown rope and it pooled on his shoulder when he hoisted her up into his arms. Ushio ate her excuse up like a shark that smelled blood.

"Of course." The demon ran a hand through the loose strands of hair from Anzu's braid and smirked, "Now I know why you wear so little clothing, it's easier to take off..."

Blue eyes shot up towards the ceiling, "You're such a pig."

"Oink, Oink."

The two demons walked hand and hand to Anzu's first class. When the first bell rang, Anzu looked at Ushio with large puppy blue eyes. "Hey honey," She sang. Ushio turned black eyes towards her.

"Yeah?"

She rocked back and forth on her heels, a miraculous feat for one wearing stilettos, "Could you please do something about those nasty cars that are parking next to me..?"

The demon cracked his knuckles, a sinister look spreading across his face, "Sure thing sweetie."

Ushio wasn't afraid of being caught in the hallways, after all he was the head hall monitor, and his lackeys wouldn't dare put him in detention. Not that anyone would.

"One more thing Ushio!" Anzu called from the doorway, "There's this really annoying kid named Yami in my class. He's a human..." She giggled, "Could you please..." She trailed off, moving her index finger across her throat, "... Do him in?"

Ushio smirked, knowing who she was talking about, "Yami huh?" The weedy little mortal that had lied about his name and needed a meddling Chimera to interfere in his affairs, "Yeah, I know who you're talking about... I'll send some of my men to scout out his house."

--::--

Yami didn't go to school the next day. Something about getting your hand bitten through by a vampire seemed to exclude him from daily activities, so the orphan just relaxed and enjoyed his day off.

Isis came down to Yami's new room on the lower level, a small smile on her face. Yami looked at his foster mother suspiciously; there was something about her easy-going aura that had him looking around for a weapon.

Of course, most things about people had him looking around for a weapon, but that was beside the point.

"How would you like to go visit the orphanage?" She asked. Yami froze his mental search for things in his room that could be used as a weapon. Ruby eyes gazed at Isis, unblinking. Yami couldn't be sure if she was joking, but she didn't seem to be the joking type. Yami had hardly ever seen her smile.

Yami frowned, "Is this a joke?" He demanded, suddenly suspicious that they were getting rid of him already, "Because it's not funny."

"I'm not joking." Isis said serenely. She sat on the edge of Yami's bed, "In fact, the orphanage is close enough to walk to." She eyed the suspicious look on Yami's face and smiled, "Rest assured we have no intention of sending you back Yami. We merely thought you would like to visit your friends there." Her smile widened at the hopeful look of elation on Yami's face, "Would you like detailed directions?" She asked.

Yami nodded, sitting up in his bed and kicking off his covers. "Yeah!" He exclaimed, excited.

He could see Leo and the others!

"But first..."

Yami flopped back down on his bed. He had just known there was going to be some sort of requirement, but he had just been so excited when he found out there was a chance he might be able to see Leo again that he had jumped at the chance anyway.

"What do I need to do?" He asked glumly, "Get baptized by the pope? Jump up and down while rubbing my belly, patting my head while singing 'It's Raining Men'? Or should I jump down a sewage pipe and save Princess Peach, or would you prefer Hyrule to save Princess Zelda?"

"While that's a good idea," Isis said in amusement, "I'd never ask you to do the impossible," She looked at Yami and folded her hands in her lap, "Could you please wash the dishes while your father and I are out in a business meeting? We won't be back until late, and neither of us will be up to it."

Yami was shocked; he was actually expecting it to be something hard. In his previous adoption families he'd have to do the house work by default. He was never asked.

"I know you're probably still not feeling well," Isis said apologetically, "But after you're done you'll be free to go off wherever you please." She gave him a sharp look, "So long as it's not illegal, you're back by dinner, and you don't get yourself killed."

"That's fine." He replied truthfully sitting up to grab some, relatively, clean clothes, "I can do the dishes." He paused and looked at her curiously, "Out of curiosity… why would you and Shadi need to clean anyway? I know you can afford the help."

Isis gave him an amused smile, one of her delicate fangs appearing under her lip, "With our clan it would be rather difficult to hide what we are for long from human housekeepers, and I wouldn't trust a strange demon to walk across the threshold of this house much less clean it." She shrugged, "We have a cleaning service come in once a month to do the major dusting and such, but we do the daily upkeep. It's easier that way."

Yami thought about that a minute and shrugged, "Makes sense I guess." He got off the bed and went to his closet, picking out a black shirt that looked clean. Isis chuckled to herself and got up to head out.

"Yami?" Isis asked, turning back around to face him.

"Yeah?" He grunted distractedly, pulling gray jeans over his boxers and unhooking his wallet chain from the pants he had worn on the previous day. They were blood stained, and with a grunt of disgust he tossed them in the trashcan. He hooked his wallet chain on the belt loop of his pants and stuffed the wallet in his back pocket.

"Shadi and I both owe you an apology." She said seriously, "Several in fact. I won't bother with reasons or excuses, but please know that despite what you may think our intent was not to hurt or betray you. And we hope that you can one day forgive us. We're very sorry."

Once more Yami found himself dumbfounded. An apology? She was actually apologizing to him? None of his previous foster parents had _ever_ bothered apologizing for any of the things they'd done to him. And he'd had no expectation of getting one from these people. He had no idea what to make of it, and even less idea of what to say.

Yami shrugged uncomfortably, pulling out a black wrist band and stretching it over his forearm. It was plain black and made of cloth, not particularly useful when dealing with sweat. But habit was habit. He turned towards Isis and gave her a tentative smirk, "Thanks Isis."

Isis nodded in understanding and looked away. "Okay," She replied, "Shadi and I are going to leave now, but if you need us you can contact us on our cell phones. Do you have the numbers?"

Yami nodded, eager to start on the dishes so he could start walking towards the orphanage.

"The directions are on the counter; it can be confusing at first, Shadi has horrible hand writing, but you'll eventually be able to read it if you stare at it long enough." She smiled and walked towards the door, "We'll be back around seven or so, and we'll get some take out while we're gone. I'll see you at dinner."

She left. Seconds passed, and soon Yami could hear the car pull out of the driveway. He smiled to himself, relishing in the feeling that he had the house to himself. Yami's smile grew wide. Soon he'd be able to see Leo again. This was a good day.

He left his room and saw the pile of dishes. Judging by the amount of porcelain, he figured that it would take him about an hour to finish. He pushed the wrist band higher up his arm. The faster he started on his chores, the faster he'd be able to see Leo.

--::--

Yami frowned at the small scrap of paper clenched in his hand. He was having little or no luck trying to read Shadi's instructions that would take him to the orphanage, the hand writing looked suspiciously like a ransom note. A serial killer might view Shadi's note as a type of exquisite calligraphy; simply because it looked like the person who wrote the note was getting brutally murdered. Christ. How old was Shadi _anyway_? A twenty-something year old shouldn't be writing like a mass murderer. Yami sighed; knowing there was little or no use in trying to decipher the scribbles that were seemingly written in another language.

A very demented language… Was this Orcish?

He turned back to the house, hoping Isis and Shadi weren't involved so deeply in their conference that they wouldn't have the time to give Yami better directions. Now if only Yami could remember their cell phone numbers…

Yami was still in his neighborhood, and he swiped a glance at the rusty watch he'd strapped to his wrist. If he moved quickly, he'd be able to walk to the orphanage, spend a couple hours with Leo and the others, and come back by dinner. The dishes had taken him longer then he thought they would. Though that was mostly because of Yami's anal attentiveness sparked when he saw the dusty appliances, and the carpet that needed to be vacuumed... Just to say it simply, Yami was there longer than one could expect of the orphan. So now he was running late and he had no urge to become lost while attempting to read Shadi's psychotic handwriting.

He just rounded the corner that would take him to the street he lived on, when a glossy Volvo, packing more speed than necessary, fish tailed wildly around a turn and sped towards a surprised Yami. The orphan's heart sped up, the tinted window shield screaming towards him like the grim reaper. He barely had enough time to think the coloring was odd when he saw that the driver was in a hurry and most likely not planning on slowing down. Yami dove out of the road and rolled to a stop under some over grown bushes shaped like a giraffe's head. And not a moment too soon.

The car had accelerated, leaving burning rubber and tire tracks in the place the orphan had been standing seconds before. Yami felt his mouth run dry; he swallowed thickly to moisten his throat. If he had hesitated for a second more, Yami would be nothing more than road kill rotting on the side of the street.

Slowly, Yami peeled his body from the grass. He couldn't work his mind enough to cuss fanatically at the driver who had almost killed him. He couldn't even lift a hand to flip them the birdie.

What Yami had seen a split seconds before he jumped out of oncoming danger, was a wrinkled teenager. A demon.

Adrenaline and fear had slowed down the actions and quickened his reaction time. Quite clearly through tinted glass, Yami was able to make out the teenager's squinting eyes lock with his, the unmistakable able look of glee, and the tightening of emaciated hands gripping the steering wheel as he sped up.

"That was intentional." Yami muttered, a mixture of shock and anger mingling with his reawakening senses, "That son of a bitch, tried to run me over!" He raised his body from the sculpted bush head and brushed his gray pants roughly. There were grass stains left on the knees.

Just perfect.

Yami snarled at them, as though hoping that if he glared at them long enough they would go away. Stubbornly, the spots refused to jump in fear at Yami's fierce look and remained blissfully unaware, happily staining Yami's only good pair of pants.

So much for his so called "Demonic" glare…

He sighed just coming to grips with the situation. Should he tell Shadi and Isis about the attack? He wasn't so sure about that. He still didn't trust them, despite the earlier apology, and frankly the orphan wasn't sure how they would take to Yami accusing a demon of attempted vehicular manslaughter. Not that he actually knew it had been aimed at him… For all he knew it had been an accident. He didn't figure demons were above losing control of their cars from time to time… Right. And he was the second coming.

He snorted at his own thoughts. Okay so accident was vastly unlikely… still, there was no proof that he'd been specifically targeted. It could've been a random act; perhaps engineered by a rabid group who hated humans. That seemed far more likely. His debut into the demonic world had only been one day, and despite his adventures, he didn't think it likely he'd picked up and enemy who knew where he lived so soon. Which pretty much left him with… a drunk driver or a rabid human hating lunatic. Neither option sounded like a particularly appealing discussion with his foster parents. Not after yesterday. He sighed again and turned down the street towards his house.

That's when he froze.

And unrecognizable car was parked in the driveway. Apparently empty. Yami automatically dismissed the idea of it being Isis or Shadi's, they only had one car and they both left the house at the same time. Yami frowned feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up and his palms prickling with perspiration.

He slowly walked up the driveway, checking the car to see if there was anyone waiting inside. It was empty. The car was a green Pontiac and it looked as though it had been used before. Yami frowned, the car stuck out horrifically against the sleek white mansions that decorated the expansive lawns. He crept forward towards the front door to the Sobek's house and tried the door, it swung open.

Silently, Yami pushed the door open, tightening his hand into a fist and relaxing it. A long white scar shone in jagged peaks on his tan knuckles. Yami had discovered it that morning and assumed Serenity had healed the injury he had received from the monster whose face he pounded in previously back when he was drugged with morphine.

"Who's here?" Yami called sharply. A glass broke from inside the kitchen, and red eyes followed the noise keenly. He walked slowly to the kitchen and pushed open the glass door.

Suddenly a tan and blond blur rushed out of the kitchen and tackled Yami to the floor.

"Yami! Mariku is so sorry! He didn't mean to chew on your hand!" Yami flailed a little under the vampire's powerful grip, but Mariku plowed on heedlessly, "Though Mariku should point out he didn't enjoy it!" He made a disgusted face down at the squashed human, "Yami tastes icky!"

"Mariku I think you're smothering him…" A voice Yami instantly recognized as Bakura spoke up dryly. Mariku looked at his new clansmen and abruptly scrambled up sheepishly.

"Mariku is sorry again!"

Yami waved off the vampire, but refrained from answering in favor of regaining his senses, "What the hell are you guys doing here?" He asked after a minute.

"Bringing you your work obviously." Bakura smirked holding up a fat envelope, "Today's and the rest of yesterday's. Lucky for you; you share all your classes with at least one member of the clan."

"Clan?" Yami asked in confusion as he finally got back to his feet and took the envelope from Bakura. The chimera chuckled.

"Yeah. A demon clan." At Yami's continued confusion he grinned, "That's what we call a group of demons who are close enough to be actual friends as opposed to casual acquaintances or allies."

"Ah." Yami grunted, deciding not to question further. He had a feeling that demonic society would give him more of a headache than human society did, "So how'd you get in?"

"Bakura picked the locks, and Mariku disarmed the alarm." Yugi sighed giving his two clansmen a mild glare as he strolled in, "They didn't need to though. Both of these jerks have keys, and know the code."

"But Yugi!" Mariku whined, "It's more fun that way! Mariku and Bakura need to stay in practice!"

Yugi rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "Yes, and Isis will kill you, again, if you've cost her another alarm system in the process. And Shadi will help her." He smirked wickedly, "Or have you forgotten what he did the _last_ time?"

"How could we forget?" Bakura drawled lazily and tapped his toe restlessly against the thick carpet. He tossed the envelope containing Yami's assignments onto the glass coffee table before he slumped back against the plush couch behind him. "It took weeks for the stench of holy water to come out of my hair."

Yami raised an eyebrow, momentarily distracted from his immediate concern over the lunatic-human-hating-driver by the talk about holy water, homework, and who knew what else. "You guys can't really expect me to go back to Teratos, can you?" He shot the envelope with his assignments in it a scathing glare. "Multiple people were trying to kill me on a regular basis. I think it's pretty safe I'm going into public schooling now."

Bakura eyed the glaring human with faint amusement. Yami was certainly oblivious to the way things were done in their clan. Even if the other attempted to transfer to a public school, he couldn't get rid of them so easily. "Luckily you have us to watch your back from now on. Although we can't do anything to help you if you stick your hand in a vampires mouth again." He raised a white eyebrow, mirroring Yami's expression, "That one was on you."

Yami flushed slightly at the reminder of his folly and jammed his hands in his pockets as if trying to hide the evidence. Bakura had a good point. If he thought about it, he hadn't been acting in a self-preserving way. Sticking his hand near a vampire's mouth? Hell, it just _sounded_ like a bad idea. Oh well, hindsight had 20/20 vision.

It wasn't as if Yami had been a perfect student in public school anyway. He didn't have friends he could rely on, and his smart mouth would often get him into trouble. Fights were a common thing for him. Why should it matter if the one throwing the punch was a human or a demon? He mentally weighed the pros and cons.

Well most demons could break walls... and humans couldn't. Con.

But here, he at least had a 'clan' that theoretically wouldn't abandon him. Yami met Bakura's gaze with a glare and picked up the envelope reluctantly. He'd give them a chance. One. His survival instincts were screaming at him that this was a bad idea, but Yami wanted to see. He had to grudgingly admit that Bakura had grown on him some. And the Chimera had come to his rescue once before. And not just him. His gaze drifted over towards Yugi who was watching him carefully for a reaction. The incubus had flown him to safety during Bakura's fire to distract Ushio. That handsome bastard didn't even like Yami all that much but he still helped him. Pro.

It didn't hurt that the handsome bastard was _undeniably_ attractive.

Unfortunately that meant Yami was sticking his neck out on the line for a 'maybe.' For hope. For a concept and idea that he didn't even believe in or give a damn about. His heart thudded in fear. He was afraid to trust these demons with this much. His life was literally hinging on this. Con.

He sucked it up and opened the envelope. Yami didn't have time to really deal with life making decisions right now, so he was just going to trust his impulses for once. After all, he needed to get a cryptologist on the phone so he could attempt to decipher Shadi's directions. Yami needed to see Leo. Badly. Just as a distraction from the crazy days he had been having ever since he was adopted.

"Fine," Yami grumbled and eyed the gathered demons with annoyance as he filtered through the papers, "But as much as I'd love to discuss this with you guys in greater detail, I'm about to leave." There was pretty much no point in kicking the demons out. Not if they could just break in again if they felt like it. "So, uh... Just hang out here I guess?" He shrugged and walked over to the phone.

Luckily Isis had enough insight into the male teenage mind to know that Yami would immediately forget any and all important numbers that he may have needed, and thus placed a notepad with both of their numbers printed neatly on the top page. Yami raised an eyebrow. Why couldn't Isis have written the directions? At the very least _she_ wrote legibly. He dialed Shadi's number as he was the one to give Yami the poor directions in the first place, so now he had to deal with the confused teenager.

After a few rings, Shadi picked up, "Hello?" The man's voice crackled over the speaker. Yami frowned slightly as he picked up the note of distraction in the other's voice. So Shadi was busy, oh well, Yami would be fast.

"It's Yami." He clarified over the phone, vaguely aware of the demons beginning to crowd around him curiously. "I can't read your handwriting to get to the orphanage. Where the hell am I going?" He demanded.

There was a pause and the sound of shuffling papers. Shadi sighed, "Call Mariku. He knows where it is."

The said vampire's ears twitched at the sound of his name and he looked at Yami curiously. The human in turn gave Mariku a suspicious look, "You know where the orphanage I come from is?" He asked the other, not bothering to cover the receiver from Shadi. These guys all had super hearing or whatever. There was little point in hiding anything from them really.

Mariku slowly looked from the receiver to Yami, down to the poorly written instructions in the human's hand. He nodded.

"Do you have everything under control?" Shadi asked over the phone, still distracted, and obviously wanting to return to his work, "Can you get there alright?"

"Yeah. He knows where it is." Yami decided to have mercy on the poor businessman. He had probably eaten up a lot of his time with his question. "I'll let you get back to whatever it is you're doing." He gestured at Mariku to get ready to show him before hanging up with Shadi.

Whatever it was his foster father was doing must have been highly distracting to warrant such a conversation. Yami shrugged. It didn't matter to him; whatever it was about was probably boring and had nothing to do with Yami.

--::--

Shadi sighed as he sat at a conference table, looking over a book filled with gruesome pictures. He could remember each of the events portrayed in the illustrations with sharp clarity. Each and every single horrible one of them. As an angel, he was not allowed to kill another angel. Nor was he allowed to kill a human. But that particular rule had been broken before...

He came across the picture he was interested in and surveyed the scene. Wings covered the sky and demons littered the ground, hunting the Hunters. Angels and Demons worked together to defeat an unholy threat. Mortals. Except... different. The scene was horrific and the ground ran red with the blood of those they had killed.

His cell phone rang, jerking him out of his thoughts and sending adrenaline coursing through his body. He was jumpy. Nervous. He distractedly answered it without looking at the caller ID, his heart beating rapidly, "Hello?"

"It's Yami. I can't read your handwriting to get to the orphanage. Where the hell am I going?"

Shadi glanced over at the open book and shook his head, amazed at the timing. Speak of the devil and he shall come. He looked down at the book absently running his fingers over the thick paper. "Call Mariku." He said, once more getting absorbed in the memories the haunting images induced.

"Who's that?" A voice came from across the room. Shadi spun around, his heart once more beating a mile a minute in his chest. At this rate he was going to send himself into an early grave. _Again_. He glared at the man who was currently sitting at his desk with his feet propped up on the surface and covered up the receiver.

"Mahaado!" Shadi growled, "What're you doing here? How'd you get into my office?" He demanded.

"Someone is a grumpy bastard today," Mahaado said blandly, tucking his long purple hair behind his ears, "Whatever happened to a good old fashioned, 'Hello, how are you doing today?'" He stood up and walked over towards the other. He smiled slightly at the Guardian Angel, glad to see him even if the greeting was rough. "I'll fill in the gap then. How have you been brother?"

Shadi strained a smile at his brother, "I think it can go without saying." He shook his head, "There's no privacy anywhere." He smiled with a resigned sigh.

Mahaado snorted, "In _this_ clan? You'd be lucky if you can go to the bathroom without someone knowing." The purple haired angel certainly had an advantage over most in that area. He was a Tracker. This meant that he could find anyone, anywhere just so long as they were in the same realm as him. It was both a useful and annoying trait to have. "So who's on the phone?" He looked at Shadi curiously.

Shadi looked back at the phone on his shoulder and put it back up to his face, mouthing at Mahaado to give him a second, "Do you have everything under control? Can you get there all right?" He nodded as he listened to the response before saying goodbye and hanging up.

"That wasn't anyone important. Just a business partner trying to find an area to go to lunch" Shadi lied smoothly, looking at the other angel idly. Shadi was a damn fine liar, but he knew it was pointless to even try against Mahaado. That was the hazard of being brothers.

Sure enough, Mahaado raised a skeptical eyebrow as he caught the lie. There was surprise on his face, showing that he was shocked Shadi would even _try_. He crossed his arms and gave Shadi an annoyed glare, clearly displeased that his brother wanted to play that game. However, he took the hint for what it was and changed the subject. Purple eyes fell on the book beside Shadi and Mahaado felt his annoyance drain away at the sight.

"Is that a copy of _Heaven's Mandate_?" Mahaado asked curiously as he drew near. He caught sight of the illustration Shadi had been looking at and drew away with a soft hiss, "Shadi! What the hell are you looking at _this_ for?"

Shadi looked sharply down at the book and closed it quickly. He was far too late as the damage had already been done. "I was just curious." He said flatly and picked up the book to shove it into the bookshelf in the back wall.

Mahaado frowned and cut off his brother, gripping his arm before he could get far, "Curious?" He growled in irritation, "What could you _possibly_ be curious about? We both fought in that war and saw..." He trailed off and shook his head to dispel the morbid thoughts the book inspired. He looked at Shadi firmly, "What we saw was a first hand truth that no one can ever know." His jaw locked.

The Guardian angel pulled his arm free and gave Mahaado a stern look, "I know brother." He said gently, "I was just _curious_..." He stressed.

Mahaado shook his head, "About what?" He demanded, "Why do you even want to think about what happened? It's far too fresh. For Christ's sake Shadi, it happened barely eighteen years ago!"

"I want to know what happened to those we killed!" Shadi snapped furiously in response. "Some were innocents! Children! They hadn't committed any crimes! _What happened to them?_" Mahaado flinched away as if he had been burned. He rubbed an area underneath his robes subconsciously and Shadi looked away, ashamed he had brought up a tender subject with his brother.

"I didn't mean to shout." Shadi apologized quietly. Mahaado had problems... in the past. This struck a little close to them for Mahaado's comfort which was most likely the reason why he preferred to forget about the entire incident.

Mahaado shook his head and looked up at Shadi with a slight smile, "Don't worry about it." He looked out the window and slipped his hands into the pockets of his robe. His chest ached as if it had been sliced open. To kill an innocent had bothered Mahaado. It was just as bad as killing a Guardian Angel's charge. He rubbed his chest again, finding it slightly difficult to breath. "It's a good question. One I'll admit that I've asked before."

"And did you find any answers?" Shadi asked softly, looking over at his brother intensely. This answer was important to the Guardian Angel. Far more important than Mahaado realized. The question had tormented Shadi since the war, but now it had reached new levels in its intensity. His fear had been personal before, but now... Now it was even closer.

The tracker shook his head, "No. I found nothing." Mahaado shook his head. Shadi's face fell and he sat back down in his seat, his hands coming up to rest over his eyes. He shook his head slightly as despair settled on his shoulders. Mahaado's chest tightened at the sight of his brother's pain and settled his hand on the other's shoulders, "I found nothing, but I didn't look very hard." He said softly.

Shadi looked up at Mahaado in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked the other with a slight frown. Mahaado lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

"Listen Shadi, I don't deal with this type of stuff well," Mahaado sat on the table and looked at the Guardian sternly, "I'd much rather run away from the problem and deal with it alone when I can."

"Sounds like your approach to women," Shadi teased with a faint smile.

"That's neither here or there thank you very much," Mahaado snorted and glared at Shadi, flushing slightly at the reminder of his love life. Or lack thereof. "I was referring to the fact that I didn't want to find the answer."

Shadi frowned, "But why not?" He could understand how his brother didn't like dealing with shadows of his past. And he liked searching for answers to them even less. But in this case, the suspicions that they had truly killed something or someone weighed heavily on both of their minds. To ease that fear, even a little... Wasn't it worth it?

Mahaado looked out the window. He chose not to answer Shadi's question, but instead turned to look at his brother flatly, "Do you want me to look for you?" He asked quietly. "I'm going back to Hell soon anyway. Do you want me to search for those that we killed?"

Shadi nodded, looking up at his brother resolutely. He needed Mahaado out of the way for now anyway, much to Shadi's intense regret. He simply couldn't bring himself to embroil Mahaado into his mess. The tracker had enough issues to deal with currently. But Shadi needed this favor. He was not afraid of the answer he hoped Mahaado could provide. It was one he needed to know. For his peace of mind.

And for Yami's.

This had everything and nothing to do with him. Shadi could only hope it had nothing to do with his charge...

Mahaado nodded and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "I'll see you soon then." He grunted before sliding off of the table. He looked at Shadi, "Give my regards to the rest of the clan. And apologize to them for not being able to stick around longer." He gave Shadi a stern look, "I'll be back soon. So don't think you've gotten rid of me yet." He smirked before walking out of Shadi's office.

The Guardian angel smiled sadly as he watched the other depart. He sighed and pulled out the Mandate of Heaven a second time, letting it fall on the page he had marked. The ruby red eyes of children screaming in pain loomed up at him from the dusty pages, and Shadi suppressed a shudder. Those eyes would haunt him forever.

Neither human nor demon. Not even a half-breed.

Just a soulless husk.

Yami.

--::--

_**So what did you guys think? Do you like it or hate it?**_

_**Remember guys, reviews really do make me update faster. They fuel my guilt nightmares and make me type frantically so I can sleep better at night!**_

_**Drop me a line!**_


	10. The Purity of Souls

_**HEY! THIS JUNK IS IMPORTANT! THAT MEANS READ IT!**_

_**No! Don't look at me like that! Not with those eyes that make me so guilty! What's that you say? You want more Teratos? Fine damn it! Take your smelly Teratos! I'll return Sunday updates to you people! Happy now?**_

_**Yeah, that's right. I was delusional and talking to myself. That's normal. Especially if what I have to say is right! I'm returning to Sunday updates. Yep, yep. And why not? I meant what I said when I talked about finishing this damn story. **_

_**I'm kind of taking the no-fun-zone reigns from Kytrin. It was just too hard for Kytrin and I to mesh our schedules and the guilt nightmares just wouldn't stop. Thus, I've taken to re-writing so it'll just make her workload easier. She's still my kick ass beta and she'll be kicking ideas at me.**_

_**That means you won't see her pretty writing as often anymore, so I hope you guys can deal with the crap that is my work. **_

_**That's all, enjoy! (I hope o.o)**_

--::--

Isis rapped her fingertips across her desk as she looked through the thick files decorating the oak surface. Each one had a face printed on a photo that was clipped to the outside cover to each file. She looked through the papers in each with an increasing sense of foreboding.

These were the old foster families Yami had lived with previously. She and Shadi had worked on getting their hands on a list of names who had adopted the human after much bribing and wheedling from Teana. Then they had made a thorough background check on each of them – a background check that was far more in depth than the kind human laws could reach. Like if they were demons disguised as mortals.

So far the answer had been a resounding yes. Some families were human, but much to Isis' horror, she had found that many were demonic. And they had been the ones to give Yami more of the physical and mental abuse as their records implied.

This was bad. This was _very_ bad.

Shadi walked in with a tired smile, setting another stack of folders down onto Isis' desk. The vampire groaned and gave her mate an annoyed look. Just when she had been making a dent in the last group of folders Shadi had given her! It was ridiculous how many times Yami had been adopted, so it was no wonder the human had little faith in those who adopted him.

"You're wicked," She murmured as she turned a scathing glare on the folders.

"Sorry love," Shadi pressed a gentle kiss against her hair, "But one of us needs to run the business while the other does research about Yami's past foster families."

Isis nodded but couldn't quite suppress a sigh, "I never realized how much I relied on my visions of the future until they became muddled and confused."

'Or blocked altogether' Isis thought anxiously.

Shadi squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, "You can't see what the future holds for our clan so long as Yami remains a part of it."

"For whatever reason, he seems to cast a shroud of darkness that my visions can't pierce," Isis muttered. It was hard for the vampire to accept that her abilities would not be of much use, but she knew it was a risk that could have happened upon adopting Yami. She was glad they had known that much, but that knowledge did nothing to ease the sense of blindness that settled on her shoulders. Being unable to protect and warn her clan of dangers coming in the future weighed heavily on her mind.

"Have you found anything that stands out yet Isis?" Shadi asked, pulling up a conference chair so he could sit next to her.

Isis nodded and pushed two different piles towards Shadi, "I've separated the files that are human and demon." She gripped onto Shadi's arm firmly, her blue eyes dark. The pile marked as 'demons' was much larger than the smaller pile marked 'humans.' "They've been following him all throughout his life."

Shadi let out a loud swear, highly uncharacteristic for the Guardian angel. His eyes were dark and he bit the inside of his cheek, "I knew this was going to happen." He breathed.

"You knew he was going to be adopted by literal monsters?" Isis looked surprised. She stood up to sit on her desk and set a new file Shadi had brought in on her lap. Her lip twisted into a smirk, "I find that highly unlikely."

The corner of Shadi's lips curled into a smirk, "Well no." He admitted.

Isis laughed quietly and began to flip through the folder. There were two pictures clipped onto the cover of the folder and the vampire regarded them curiously. A woman and man. Vivian and Esba Roba, the last foster family to have Yami in their possession.

"Why do you think that there were so many demons adopting Yami?" Isis muttered her dark thoughts aloud, "Some of these made honest and noticeable attempts at killing him but demons are perfectly capable of killing without leaving trace evidence. It doesn't jive."

Shadi wove his fingers together and propped his hands just underneath his chin, "There's a simple answer to that Isis." He said very softly, "They wanted to nurture a subconscious hatred in Yami towards all things demonic. As far as his conscious mind knows, humans are the root of evil. However–..." He trailed off.

"—His natural subconscious instincts would automatically relate it to demons," Isis finished. She pressed her lips together into a fine line, "But why? To what purpose would that serve?"

"It would make him eventually filled with hatred," Shadi shrugged, looking quite disturbed. Such a notion was horrifying for an angel. To fill any living creature with so much negative energy was truly a foul thing to accomplish, "But there's one thing that's bothering me..."

"And that is?" Isis asked quietly.

Shadi looked up to pin Isis with a serious look. His eyes never left the calm blue of her irises and he reached forward to grasp her hand tenderly, "It feels almost like someone is working against us..." He said so quietly Isis had to lean in to catch what he was saying.

"These adoptions?" Shadi gestured towards the pile of demons, "It's ridiculous for demons to go after the same target over and over again, only to fail each time. It doesn't _fit_."

Isis set soothing hands on her angel's agitated shoulders and rubbed them gently. She worked out the knots which had begun to build between his shoulder blades. "Demons like to play with humans sometimes." She said softly. "It's a foul practice, but it's done none the less."

For an angel like Shadi, he couldn't see what drove demons to do the things they did at times. As a fully-fledged angel, Shadi could not commit an evil deed. He couldn't manipulate another's life and could walk only a very fine line when dealing with humans and demons alike. He was already toeing a line just by being with Isis – a demon.

They were so different. Shadi was from the divine class and Isis from the demonic class. They had both been humans at one point but the paths their souls had travelled went different ways. Shadi was much older than Isis, a little over five hundred years if one was exact. He hadn't aged a day since the time of his slaying in the Great War. He had fought as a paladin would, sparing the lives of those he could, healing where he was needed and obeying the king, Atemu. His life had been full of trials and tribulations, but it had been a good one of virtue.

Isis on the other hand was a little over sixty, give or take a few years. She was a vampire born and killed from a bitter life of blood and hardship at her abusive father's hands. Darkness had stained her soul, turning her into a demon. That was the way things like this went.

Angels, thanks to the purity of their souls thought themselves superior and a cut above demons in comparison to their blackened and sullied souls. The mindset normally went as thus: 'Angels were the only ones worthy of Heaven and Paradise, while the demons deserved nothing less than Hell.' Obviously Shadi and his brother didn't quite fit the mold that was expected of them. After all, both had done the unthinkable and joined a demonic clan, while Shadi mated a demon.

But the contrast between angels and demons didn't end there. Additionally, since the Fall of Lucifer, the rift between angels and demons had only grown. Before the Great War between humans and demons, there had been an even bigger war between angels and demons which caused an enormous death toll on both sides. Eventually the casualties were too much for either side to take, so a tentative peace treaty was drawn up. Demons and angels could coexist if they had to.

After all, light was only one side to darkness.

That didn't stop the two sides from detesting the living crap out of one another. That was why there were so few angels currently attending Teratos.

But in truth, everything boiled down to the difference in their souls.

Their fundamental mindset was very different. Their souls defined who they were and what they would become. Only humans with damaged souls could become either an angel or a demon. But those with white and pure souls became angels, while those with black and darkened souls became demons. The process was much more complicated, but it spoke volumes of their core values. At least that was the way things went in a nutshell.

Isis would be more than willing to take a human life if it meant protecting her clan. Shadi couldn't, not even to protect his clan and mate. Of course there were certain situations where actions like that were permitted, but in general the angel could Fall from Grace for less than that.

Shadi shook his head, "Maybe, but it doesn't feel right." He'd concede defeat for now, but something was unsettling.

Did the demons know what Yami was?

If they did, why were they going through the process of adopting him – why not just kill him outright?

He shook his head. No, if the demons knew what Yami was, they wouldn't risk playing with him. They'd kill him before they stirred the human's ever present anger. It was more than likely that they simply wanted to play with the human until he broke.

Shadi cringed at the thought and was fathomlessly grateful that Yami was a resilient teenager. Otherwise he would have never survived.

He leaned into Isis' talented hands with a soft groan and smiled slightly. He was being ridiculous. Yami had been carefully hidden as a baby amongst the other human children in the orphanage. There was no chance that his true identity had been discovered...

--::--

Yami was going to die.

What had possessed him to get into a car with three of the craziest people he had ever had the misfortune of meeting? Yami didn't know the answer, but it was obvious that this momentary lapse of sanity was going to cost him dearly. He only hoped there would be enough of himself left from the crash that the doctors would be able to reassemble him. Once they pulled the pieces of Yami out of the wreckage of course.

Yugi was happily ignoring every traffic law ever put into existence in favor of speeding through the streets without a care in the world. Yami had pressed himself into the back of the seat as closely as he could go, hoping the cushions would decide to swallow him before they all died.

The other demons seemed utterly oblivious to the apparent danger they were in, apparently long since used to Yugi's crazy driving by now. Bakura was reclined back in the front seat while Mariku stretched out in the backseat without a care in the world. His legs were resting on Yami's lap so the irritable human shoved them off. The attempt was futile, as the legs were replaced a second later.

"Turn left here," Mariku said listlessly, his head turned to look out the window. He was oblivious to the way a swearing Yami was attempting to shove his legs off of his body. Yami was distracted from his attempt to remove Mariku's legs when Yugi turned sharply, causing the human to jerk into the side of the car.

"What the hell Yugi!" Yami growled, "Take it easy on the gas you lunatic – some of us are mortals!"

"No backseat driving," Yugi replied flippantly, violet eyes flicking up to the rearview mirror. The bottoms of the incubi's eyes were curved, proof that he found Yami's reactions to his driving highly amusing. "If you want to call the shots you've got to be a big boy and sit up front."

"You're evil," Yami grumbled as he attempted to peel his face off the window as Yugi took another jerky turn. How had he managed to land himself in this situation? More importantly, why hadn't they been pulled over yet? The cops should have been crawling all over them by now!

"I've been hearing that from Seto for years," Yugi laughed softly. He slowed the car down to a crawl much to a hyperventilating Yami's relief, "Is this the place?"

Yami groaned as he picked himself up off the floor of the car and looked out the window to check. He just needed to wait long enough for his stomach to settle down and the world to stop spinning before he could give the incubus a conscious enough answer. Ruby eyes peered out from the tinted glass of Yugi's car to see where they were.

A small smile crawled over Yami's face.

He took in the cracked driveway Yugi had parked next to and saw not a poorly paved and worn pathway to the front door, but a trail littered with children's drawings marked in chalk and memories. The lawn was patchy, filled with dirt, pits of mud, crab grass, and pot holes, all caused by the little feet of orphans which ran around all day long.

"This is it," Yami breathed softly. A rush of happiness and homesickness struck him at once. This was home for him. No matter who adopted him or at what age, this orphanage would always be where his heart remained. This was always the place Yami could turn to when he thought his world was close to falling apart. It hurt to be away from this place, but being able to visit wasn't so bad... He had never been allowed to pay his friends a visit before in the past.

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Yami threw open the door to the car and jumped out into the grass. The soles to his shoes sank into the familiar grass but the human paid them no mind. He was just thrilled he was able to make good on his promise to Leo. He grinned and ran up to the front door of the orphanage, leaving the demons behind.

Yugi looked at Yami's retreating back in surprise before he cast a glamour over his wings to hide them from view. They were currently in a mortal part of town, and he didn't want anyone asking questions about the wings sprouting from his back.

"He looks happy," Yugi noted having caught sight of Yami's smile before the human took off. Bakura nodded and slowly unbuckled himself.

"It's good to know that grumpy bastard can smile after all," The chimera smirked as he opened his car door. He slipped out and bounced on the springy grass, his heels lifted up from the ground. He flashed a fanged smirk over his shoulder at the incubus who was still stubbornly sitting in the car and beckoned with his head for the other to follow, "Let's get going, you know how often trouble seems to find Yami."

"What do I look like?" Yugi grumbled as he climbed out of the car with Mariku following, "His babysitter?"

Mariku ran on ahead but Bakura waited so he could draw up to the incubi's side, "Who the hell d'you think you're kidding pipsqueak?" The chimera said smoothly, a smirk pulling at his lips, "You've been keeping a close eye on Yami ever since we dropped by his house."

Yugi flashed Bakura an annoyed glare but bit his lip to prevent himself from giving away his thoughts. Unfortunately for him, the rosy flush which covered his cheeks spoke volumes by themselves and Bakura's smirk widened in victory.

"Your silence is suspicious," Bakura crossed his arms over his chest, "You've got a little crush on the human runt, don't you?"

"I do not!" Yugi denied, but his shouted protest did nothing to stem the flood of color rushing over his cheeks. But even as he objected to Bakura's accusation, a weight of truth settled onto his chest. The reminder of Yami's handsome face flashed before the incubi's eyes and his breath hitched. Those full lips parted, curved into a trademark smirk while ruby eyes glittered challengingly at Yugi.

He shook his head viciously. No, not again! He couldn't be thinking about that ridiculous human a second time, could he?

The first time he had thought of Yami was during the afterglow after feeding off of Bakura. Not the most appropriate of times to think of another man – even if the moments between himself and Bakura were strictly for Yugi's nourishment, the whole experience was still strange for him. Yugi hid his burning face in his hands with a groan of despair. He couldn't have a thing for the human could he? It was doomed to failure at the very start!

Yugi decided that once he got his hands on Cupid, he was going to clip the little bastard's wings and pull his diaper over his head.

Unfortunately for Yugi, his clan leader was far from done with needling him. The chimera smirked and tugged on the back of Yugi's shirt to capture his attention.

"So should I take your violent protest to mean you like him?" Bakura claimed, mentally creating a note about this exchange in his head to file away later. It was interesting to see the normally so passive Yugi to react so strongly about this – even if it had been only half teasing on Bakura's part. The chimera remembered what Yugi's reaction towards Yami the previous day had been, but hadn't really thought it to be anything beyond momentary fascination.

"No." Yugi replied shortly, "You must have read me wrong," The incubus laughed. However the sound was a bit strained and forced. Bakura's smirk widened and he let the subject drop for the time being. He'd let the other swim happily in his denial for now so long as he accepted it eventually.

As was a thief's instinct, he didn't believe Yugi as far as he could throw him. Even though he knew that wasn't the best analogy, considering that Bakura could easily throw the incubus more than far enough if he ever felt the need. Instead, he decided to take the incubi's word for now and get off of his back.

The two demons walked up the front lawn. The soles to their shoes sunk into muddy ditches where children had made mud pies and played with the water hose. Loud giggles came from the back yard, drawing in both demons' attentions. The laughter sounded like it belonged to children, so using sharp intuition that could only stem from years of experience – _IE: They were going off of a bullshitted half guess_ – they both figured that was the area they should visit first.

When they reached the place where the noise originated from, they were met with a sight neither would have ever expected to see in millennia.

A makeshift playground, worn from years of use was centered in the middle of the yard. Children from all age groups were running around it aimlessly and mostly at random. Not a single child was paying attention to the old jungle gym; instead, they were looking at a figure lying down on the grass besides it, trapped underneath a pile of squirming bodies.

Yami was pinned under a mound of small bodies, each squealing with joy. What was more alarming than Yami being trapped under a mass of prepubescent children was Yami himself. The tan human smiled brilliantly at the kids, laughing alongside them as though he had never experiences anything more fun before in his life. It was a stark contrast to the broody character the demons had grown accustomed to seeing at school. Who _was_ this strange new Yami?

At the sight of Yami's radiant smile, which was usually hidden behind a mask of cold indifference or a cruel smirk, Yugi felt his blackened heart sear. He wanted so badly to be able to make Yami smile that way at him... His breath hitched in surprise as the dark teenager seemed to lose all inhibitions, showing an almost innocent side in an otherwise callous and world-hardened person.

Yami's deep chuckle echoed from the squirming mass of bodies and Yugi felt a fist close over this throat. That very fist squeezed as hard as it could while it forced Yugi to breathe in shallowly through his nose. Lord of Darkness and everything in between! The mere sound of Yami's rich laugh caused his heartstrings to become tangled knots! He suppressed another groan. Could Bakura possibly be right?

No.

Ridiculous.

A tall form rose from the children and Yami emerged with several orphans clinging to his back like magnets. His face was flushed from laughter, and his ruby eyes were bright with excitement. Yugi never expected Yami to be a person to love kids, but he was being proven wrong. Just like he thought the human was only a cranky bastard -- even though he _was_. Yami let out a Godzilla-like roar and the kids squealed in delight as they all held on tightly. A tiny smile crossed over Yugi's face.

With some reluctance mixed with genuine eagerness, the incubus crossed over the weedy patches of grass to join the mass of bodies. Part of him actually wanted to play with the orphans and share the moment.

Yami looked up in surprise as Yugi joined their group. A wary sort of suspicious bled into the ruby eyes, assessing whether or not Yugi was a threat to the children. Yami's natural defense was distrust so Yugi wasn't surprised the human was exercising it now, however he was genuinely surprised when the doubt faded quickly into acceptance. A small smirk adorned the teenager's sun-kissed face and cerise eyes flashed challengingly.

"You want to play batboy?" Yami's slanted eyes caught the incubi's in a fierce, but welcoming expression. Clearly he was willing to put aside their differences to give the kids a good time, "Think you can keep up with these fireballs?"

That caused a surprised laugh to come from Yugi and the incubus nodded, but not without some hesitation of his own. He parted ways from the Chimera behind him and ventured close to the mass of squirming children.

"I think I can handle the munchkins," Yugi said with a small grin. The orphans all looked up at their new playmate and laughed at the demon's statement.

Then in uniformed wave that had Yami chuckling, the children pounced on the surprised incubus all at once.

Bakura gaped as he bore witness to what had to be the strangest sight he had seen in at least a decade. In the short time he had known Yami, he had seen a variety of different faces the human had reluctantly shown. Sarcasm, anger, mischief, fear, disbelief, and pride, but never had he seen the human this happy. In fact, before visiting the orphanage Yami had seemed like he had a permanent stick shoved up his butt. It was Bakura's only reasoning behind why Yami walked with a swagger.

But now that stick was gone and the human had lost all of his stiff-collared inhibitions. A laughing Yami was dragged back down to his knees by small human cubs and the chimera smirked as he leaned back to enjoy the sight. This was a new and interesting version side to their clansman that had previously gone unnoticed before and he was more than willing to observe. Even Yugi was getting involved and reluctantly having fun, something which pleased the Chimera all the more.

Before he could think more on the subject, a small figure ran past Bakura's knee, jolting his weight from under his body. A sharp pain jarred his senses, temporarily making him go blind. The Chimera fell down, shocked and more than slightly confused at what freakish force of nature had made him get off balance so badly. Angrily, he glared at the person who knocked him down, but he was surprised to see a human child no more than five years old barrel past him and latch onto Yami's leg. Stunned and somewhat embarrassed that a mortal _five year old_ could knock a two-hundred year old Chimera over, Bakura kept narrowed garnet eyes trained on the boy.

"Yami!" The human cub squealed. Tiny fists balled up the jeans of the teenager, and much like a monkey the boy began climbing up Yami's body as though it were a tree.

A glint of vivid happiness stole through Yami's crimson eyes and he playfully buried a tan hand in Leo's straw colored hair. There was no faking that type of joy. It was brotherly and almost paternal Bakura noted with keen observation. Slowly the Chimera relaxed, still looking at the annoying bugger with distaste.

It was obvious by the gleam and shine in Yami's eyes that this boy could very well have been the main reason why the human had wanted to come back to the orphanage in the first place. The runt was his human clan – his brother and family.

"Hey Leo, have you been good?" Yami asked.

"Yup!" A bright reply.

Once again Bakura's attention was dragged A much taller figure ran into the distracted Bakura but this time instead of the Chimera falling over, the other person merely bounced off of his chest. The human was sent sprawling to the ground in a dazed heap and the Chimera snorted softly. What was with these humans? Couldn't they watch where they were going? They had two eyes for a reason... Lazily, Bakura directed an uninterested gaze towards the person who ran into him.

A boy, about his age in the equivalence of human years, sat cross legged and dizzy. It took a moment for the teenager to regain his bearings as it was clear he wasn't quite sure how he had landed on the floor. The Chimera watched with some amusement as the human looked at Bakura's shoes in confusion, and then slowly his gaze drifted up. Realization and horror struck on the human's face and the teenager quickly stood up before apologizing profusely to Bakura.

"I'm sorry!" The orphan cried and began to speak very quickly, "I should have been paying attention! I was just giving Leo a bath and he-" His babbles trailed off as green eyes turned to stare at the Chimera with a mixture of amazement and shock. When their eyes met, Bakura's thoughts trailed off into a blur of surprise and intense shock.

It was like Bakura and the orphan were staring into a mirror. Both had snowy white hair and large eyes, they were so similar, yet so different. The boy had long hair that touched to his back in soft downy locks. Bakura had spiky white hair, cut in jagged layers just below his ears. The boy was pale, a true albino; while Bakura was darkly tanned from his Chimera heritage in the fiery deserts of Hell.

The orphan's skin was unblemished, small traces of bruises disappearing from his cheeks and neck; yet he looked frail and slender. Across Bakura's left eye a double crossed scar shot down, a wicked shade of cream that contrasted against the Chimera's dark skin.

His father had given him the scar when Bakura had attempted to leave his blood clans years ago, a souvenir carved into his face to serve as a reminder to what he was leaving behind. The memory was lost to Bakura as he stared into the human's clear eyes.

The similarities and differences didn't end there though Bakura forced himself to take note. The Chimera was also of a strong build, years of hunting and training with the elite of his race and Mariku kept up his stamina and made him alert to everything around him. This boy looked as though he was barely capable of lifting a finger to defend himself. However, there was a will of steel behind those wide doe-like eyes that Bakura's experienced gaze could pick out. This orphan might not have the build of a fighter, but he was no weakling.

The orphan gazed up at him with wide green eyes, 'Another difference' Bakura thought. Compared to the Chimera, the nameless boy seemed so pure, so innocent. Bakura was so dark and tainted. After killing mortals and demons for years, the usually proud Bakura felt like kneeling before this being he barely knew. A pure angel. Could Heaven have cast him out from amongst their ranks? But no, Bakura's nose twitched. He smelled human... Human, but so ethereal.

An intoxicating scent drifted up to Bakura, and the Chimera realized it was coming from the orphan. It absorbed itself into all of Bakura's senses and dulled his mind. His mouth began to water as his dark eyes slowly raked over the human's face in an almost physical caress. His gaze rested on soft, pink-petal lips which were barely parted and was gripped with the sudden desire to taste them. Bakura wanted to know if he tasted as good as he smelled – he knew he wouldn't be disappointed.

His fingers twitched with the desire to lay hands on this beautiful creature and only Bakura's distaste for sullying such a divine being kept his desires at bay. The scent was so powerful and intense it threatened to drive the normally contained Bakura into a frenzy. The demon had to quickly turn his head from the teenager to prevent himself from doing something very illegal in public. Each one of the demon's animalistic characteristics screamed at him to take this teenager for himself. Show him what Heaven, Hell, and everything in between _really_ looked and felt like.

Claim him.

Take him.

"Ah... Is there something on my face," The orphan asked softly in surprise, lifting one delicate pale hand to his face. A dark flush was creeping across his soft cheeks and he shifted under Bakura's intense scrutiny. Bakura noted that the orphan couldn't quite meet his eyes, obviously having noticed the similarities between the two for himself.

"No, there isn't" He heard himself reply.

Yami jogged over carrying his little-brother piggy back, Leo propped up on his shoulders as though weightless. "Ryou!" Yami smiled, "How're things over here?"

The orphan, presumably Ryou, tore his gaze from Bakura and looked blankly at Yami. He had to shake his head before coming to grips with himself.

"Oh! Yami!" A sweet smile spread across the albino's face before he shot his look alike a secret glance. The expression sent Bakura's heart free-wheeling through his chest and he did his best to mentally strangle the offending organ. "Things aren't bad! Ms. Teana went on a trip to the Caribbean's, and Ms. Valentine said we could go out for a bit after lunch!" He shot a playful look at Leo, "So long as no one runs off."

Leo giggled and clapped his hands as if pleased with his successful escape.

Bakura gazed around choosing to take this moment to distract himself from the alluring human and re-collect his thoughts. He needed to know where his pack mates were, looking for Yugi and Mariku. He frowned.

Bakura hadn't seen Mariku since they got out of the car, but knowing his friend the vampire was probably watching them all from a well-shaded tree. He saw a sneaker hanging from an overgrown evergreen. Deciding that was probably the Vampire seeking shade, he searched for the Incubus amongst the pile of squealing children. He spotted what vaguely looked like Yugi's hand sticking out from under the pile. The Chimera smirked. It looked like the incubus was having fun at the very least.

Yami turned towards Bakura and glared, "Hey Bakura! Haven't you been listening?"

The Chimera turned towards the orphan, forcibly dragging his attention back to the human and smirked, "Not in the slightest bit."

Yami rolled his eyes and adjusted the child on his back.

"Pay attention for once!" The human snapped. Then Yami turned towards the other orphan –Bakura's look alike. The Chimera's interest was immediately piqued.

"This is Ryou." Yami introduced. The red-eyed orphan jumped up and down, making the boy on his back squeal in excitement at the small bounces. "And _this_ little fellow is Leo." He grinned at the boy, who was busy tugging on one of Yami's longer blond locks of hair.

The Chimera flicked one uninterested eye on the toddler, who decided it would be a great idea to stick his tongue out at Bakura and blow him a raspberry.

"Leo huh?" Bakura narrowed his eyes, "What a cute kid..." He rolled his eyes, deciding that childcare for a future career was a bad idea. He smirked at Ryou, one of his fangs glinting in the afternoon sun, "Ryou" He turned towards the albino, a possessive grin on his face, "I like that name."

Ryou blushed, smiling cutely at Bakura, "Thank you."

The Chimera's smirk melted into a soft smile, "You're welcome." His dark eyes seemed to lighten in the very presence of Ryou. For a second the demon looked truly happy. For the first time in two hundred years, Bakura could feel his blood stirring in a way it had never done.

It both alarmed and thrilled the Chimera. The way he could feel himself connect to this stranger was enthralling and he wanted more of it. Bakura felt almost as if he needed it. So caught up was he in his inspection of Ryou, he didn't notice Mariku shift anxiously in his spot on his tree.

Bakura had been right in assuming that Mariku had taken to the tree tops for shade and a good view, but he was wrong in assuming the vampire would be looking off at them. No, instead the vampire's gaze was focused instead on a sandy haired orphan who bore a striking resemblance to him.

Mariku watched him through a window, his gaze firmly focused on the figure milling around inside. There was a yelp coming from inside the orphanage followed by a plum of black smoke and small explosion. Mariku smiled fondly. The vampire's foot swung lazily from the tree. His lavender eyes were gazing up at the orphanage window, an expression of longing and pained happiness reflecting on his face. At that moment he looked both old and young and so very, very in love.

He had seen this human for such a long time now. Mariku had given up drinking human blood for him, but he would never speak to him. Never talk to him. Just watch and make sure he was safe, because that was the only thing he could do...

Yugi jogged up to the group, looking around curiously after he managed to shake loose the last kid and kindly directed the little one back to the jungle gym with a gentle smile.

"Where's Mariku?" He asked. Bakura jerked a thumb towards the tree but didn't reply, keeping his gaze and all of his attention focused on Ryou. The indication that he couldn't care less what they did was clear on the Chimera's face. Yami and Yugi exchanged a knowing look as the human hoisted Leo up further on his back.

He offered Yugi a half smile who, after a moment of surprise, returned it hesitantly. Yami eyed his new 'clan leader' with interest. Ruby eyes flashed over to Ryou, then returned to the Chimera and he jerked his head at Yugi.

"You want to go somewhere to let these two get to know one another?" Yami suggested to the incubus with a restrained smile.

Yugi blinked in surprise and eyed the distracted Bakura and Ryou. The incubus allowed himself to immerse himself in his incubus magic for the moment and he almost recoiled in surprise under the sexual energy he could feel building up in Bakura. Oh his clansman had found something he was interested.

And the bastard had the nerve to tease him about Yami! Yugi smirked viciously and flashed Yami a smile.

"Sure."

After all, what could it hurt to hang out with the human for a bit? Besides, he would get to ruthlessly tease Bakura later for it. Something the incubus was very much looking forward to.

--::--

_**Okay. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. My hands are threatening to fall apart, so I think I'm going to end the chapter here! **_

_**Did you guys like it or hate it? Drop me a line and tell me what you think! **_

_**My return to FF is a bit rocky... I have so many stories to catch up on .**_


	11. Higher

_**Ugh dear lord. This whole chapter was practically ripped apart and torn to shreds in the matter of two days. Yeah, I can hardly believe it myself. I'm hoping to get ahead a few chapters of Teratos so I can work on High Noon a bit. **_

_**This chapter is crazy long so I hope you guys don't mind. Don't get spoiled on it either! I just had to catch up on the chapter's pacing. **_

--::--

Yami looked over at Yugi after he had set Leo down amongst the other kids. The little five-year old had whined about being left alone, terrified that he was about to lose Yami again in the short time they would be spending apart. Yami, much to Yugi's amusement, crouched down to Leo's eyelevel and reassured the boy that he would be back in a few minutes.

Adorable.

Satisfied that Yami would indeed return, Leo relinquished his hold on Yami's leg and allowed the two to wander off.

"You really love the kid, don't you?" Yugi observed as he walked a few paces behind the human to let him lead, after all Yami knew the orphanage much better than Yugi. These were his stomping grounds.

At Yugi's comment however, ruby eyes flashed over a shoulder.

"Got a problem with that?" Yami growled aggressively, almost challengingly. Now that they were away from the kids, Yami's defenses were back up and strong. It was a sharp reminder to Yugi that they hadn't gotten off on the best foot and now the incubus had to try and salvage what was left of a first impression.

"No," Yugi smiled patiently, violet eyes raised to meet crimson unflinchingly. The dark intensity coupled with hostility behind the human's gaze made it a difficult task, but Yugi kept his face carefully schooled, "I thought it was cute."

Yami seemed to miss a step entirely at Yugi's assessment and whirled around to gape at the other.

"Cute?" He spluttered, denial written over his face like a billboard. His dark eyes narrowed to slits, "I don't _do_ cute."

Yugi laughed in response, "Oh yes you do and it's damn near heartwarming, so don't try to deny it."

Yami grumbled and shoved his hands into grubby jeans. He turned back around and approached a worn swing set. Yugi noted that everything around here seemed to be dirty and threadbare. It was homey in a strange sort of way, covered in childish memories that Yugi never had.

Yugi watched as the human settled himself on one of the dilapidated swings, one tan hand curling around the metal ropes lazily. He was graceful in the way he sat, his back straight and long legs crossed over one another. The human's very poise was cat-like, as were the slanted eyes which turned to regard Yugi with feline curiously.

Yugi joined the other, sitting down on one of the swings, ignoring its protesting creak from the additional weight. Obviously the swing set wasn't used very often.

"I've been actually meaning to talk with you," Yugi opened up hesitantly. He shifted anxiously on the swing, his own hands coming up to curl up on the metallic ropes by his sides. The incubus was highly aware of Yami's form going still and those ruby eyes pinning him with a suspicious look.

"What could you possibly have to say to me?" Yami asked bluntly. It was said without heat or coarseness, genuine curiosity coloring his tone. Since curiosity was the only detectable emotion Yugi could pick up from the human, he didn't take offense.

"I wanted to apologize for my less than cheerful introduction the other day," Yugi murmured apologetically.

Yami quirked an eyebrow at the incubus, torn between amusement and disbelief.

"You're referring to how you crawled up my ass and died in there?" Yami clarified, smirking over at the sour expression on the other's face. The human couldn't deny Yugi looked absolutely adorable all surprised and flustered like that.

"Eloquently put," Yugi said dryly after he managed to pull himself together, "But yes. That's precisely what I meant.

"I didn't mean to snap," Yugi admitted softly, "I've been having a rough few days and I swore if so much as a single person made another sex comment about me outside of the clan, I was going to personally turn them inside out." The demon trailed off in a growl, his hands flexing at the thought of the two mud trolls who had attempted to have their way with him.

It was obvious to Yami that whatever had needled the incubus was still bothering him, and he wisely kept his mouth shut about it.

In a way it made sense. If he had been in Yugi's shoes, he probably would have reacted the same way. Hell, knowing his temper, he most likely would have handled the situation six times worse than Yugi had. In fact for some inexplicable reason, Yami was annoyed _for_ Yugi.

He couldn't imagine how it was like to be seen purely as a sexual object.

It made his blood boil.

"I didn't know you knew nothing about Teratos," Yugi said softly, breaking the orphan from his nearly homicidal thoughts, "Or more importantly, demons."

Yami bit the inside of his cheek and looked over at Yugi. It was obvious by the meek look in the incubi's sincere eyes that he was expecting Yami to throw his apology back into his face. Yami's breath caught as he found himself unable to turn away from Yugi's large eyes. He was locked in the incubi's hypnotizing gaze. Yami swallowed thickly.

Yugi really was good-looking. Beautiful even. He even exuded a sense of innocence that someone like Yami would never have. It was an innocence he saw in Ryou, and sometimes even Malik. If Yami hadn't seen the bat-wings for himself, he would have figured this wasn't a demon at all, but an angel.

It was an innocence Yami had strived to protect in Leo, Malik and Ryou. The hardness behind his gaze softened.

Strange as it was though, Yami could see a bit of himself behind those open eyes. Deep into their fathomless depths, Yami could see many secrets lurking below the surface. They were wise to the horrors of the world, but somehow managed to retain their purity in a way the human hadn't been able to.

Those weren't the eyes of someone who could willingly hurt another person. They weren't they eyes of someone who caused pain. The human's gut was telling him Yugi was one of those rare people who were worth the time in the day. As unlikely as it was, Yami found himself willing to find out more about this demon.

Yami couldn't even summon his usual surliness to respond to Yugi's last statement.

"Don't worry about it," Yami murmured softly, sounding far more gentle than he ever thought possible. He could feel his cheeks beginning to warm and the orphan quickly gathered his wits together long enough to crush the blush before it became noticeable, "I have bad days too, and I'm even less pleasant than you were." He laughed softly.

Yugi's hidden wings twitched at the husky sound escaping the orphan's full lips. Yugi felt a tremor shake through his small frame, robbing him of his senses and breath. He felt such a surge of warmth, happiness, and pleasure escape through his body at the simple sound, Yugi was certain his heart had started beating again only to stop a second time.

Oh crap.

He really _was_ fond of this mortal wasn't he?

Yugi yelped in surprise as suddenly he was jerked from his reflections by the very object of his thoughts shoving him forward. The incubus quickly grabbed onto the sides of the swings and looked accusingly back at the laughing human.

"Yami!" His pale cheeks flushed red, "What're you doing?" Yugi demanded. Yami only laughed again as he slipped off his swing so he could position himself behind the surprised incubus.

Yugi's breath caught as he felt warm hands catch just under the small of his back and give him a gentle push forward. The swing moved forward and Yugi was lifted into the air, a soft gasp escaping his traitorous lips.

"Pushing you, what does it look like?" Yami chuckled softly, "Or would you rather just sit there with a stupid expression on your face?"

"I was just thinking!" Yugi protested hotly, unable to summon any real heat. The human's hands were distracting.

Warm, inviting, and so very gentle.

Those soft caresses were fleeting between pushes but spoke volumes of Yami's character. It contrasted sharply with his abrasive personality, signaling to Yugi that the human had a softer side. It was a soft side which was protected beneath sarcastic retorts, glares, and a cold wall that Yami rarely ever lowered.

For now the wall was gone, or at least partially down. Yugi didn't know why but he wasn't going to complain. Perhaps this meant Yami was beginning to grow comfortable around him? Well whatever the reason, he was going to enjoy this relaxed side to Yami.

Yugi's heart skipped a beat as those guiding hands made him soar higher.

--::--

"I'll be back next week," Yami announced to Leo when it began to get late. He was due back at home soon and he wanted to be home well before Isis or Shadi got back. He wasn't thrilled with the prospect of spending time with them as he was far from forgiving them for their earlier stunt, but Yami was no fool. He wasn't going to go out of his way to piss them off.

Ryou had kept a firm hold on the toddler's chubby hand, directing a kind smile up at his friend, "I'm glad you managed to find your way back here in one piece." The orphan said softly.

Mariku let out a guilty wince.

Knowledgeable green eyes lifted to meet ruby and Yami turned away from that wise gaze. The human knew full well what Ryou meant by 'one piece' and it wasn't a topic he was eager to dwell on. He knew Ryou was just as surprised as Yami had been to see the entourage which accompanied him to the orphanage.

Yami had never visited the orphanage when he had been adopted before. That alone was shocking, but coupled with the fact that he had brought others along was mind-reeling – albeit they tagged along despite an unwillingly Yami, but how could he have stopped them anyway?

Regardless of how or why the group traveled with Yami, Ryou couldn't quite hide his happiness that Yami seemed to finally have found something which could have possibly resembled a home that only appeared in their dreams. Unfortunately, Yami wasn't as naïve or hopeful as Ryou and refused to accept things on their appearance.

"We'll be looking for you next week then Yami," Ryou murmured, his eyes travelling over the group before resting on Bakura.

"Ah, will you..." Ryou blushed, addressing Bakura, "...and your friends too – of course, I mean..." He stammered, peeking at the Chimera from behind snowy white bangs – embarrassed, "Come with Yami next time?"

Yami was torn between smirking and rolling his eyes.

A fond smirk wormed its way on Bakura's face but before he could reply "hell yes" – Yugi poked his head from under Yami's arm and interrupted the chimera. His cheeks were flushed and happy, the incubus looking the very picture of excitement.

"Of course we will!" Yugi paused before looking hopefully up at Yami from under the crook of his arm. The human gave him a strange look as if wondering how the incubus had gotten in that position in the first place, "We can come with you next time again, right?" Yugi said pleadingly.

The human heaved an exhausted sigh that didn't quite touch his eyes. There was a hint of amusement reflecting just under the surface, his annoyance only a disguise to what he was really feeling, "You might as well come..."

He shot a knowing smirk at Bakura, "It's not like I can stop you," his lips had quirked into a half-smile. He had clearly been amused at the Chimera's affections directed towards his shy friend.

Leo had broken away from Ryou's grasp and clung to Yami's pant-leg like lint. His tiny shoulders shook as though he was trying not to cry, "I love you Yami." The boy whimpered in a quaking voice. His tears were soaking through Yami's jeans and he feebly attempted to dry his wet face before it could make more of a mess.

Bakura had given a grunt of annoyance, giving Leo a critical eye. Mariku on the other hand simply cackled and clung to Yami's other available leg. The vampire repeated after the five-year old in a high-pitched voice that had Yami growling irritably.

Annoyed at the antics of the vampire, Yami attempted to pry the crazy fool off his leg while scowling darkly at his laughing audience. He gruffly turned his back on them and set his hand on the top of Leo's head.

"I love you too buddy," Yami said kindly, a small smile curving on his lips. The human's heart swelled at the sight of Leo's delighted face and he slowly straightened up. Goodbyes were always difficult for the kid, but at least now Leo would know that Yami would come back. It felt good to make true on a promise.

They all turned towards the door, Yami's hand coming to rest on the doorknob. However, before he could so much as turn it, a loud thud and screech drew his attention away.

"_Where the hell do you think you're going_?!" A voice hollered from the upper level of the orphanage. There were a series of crashes and small explosions, loud thumps against the wall and from Yami's spot in the foyer he could see feathers and bits of the ceiling raining down on them from above.

All this gave way to a frazzled, burnt Malik – who chose this time to limp into view at the top of the stairs. He narrowed his eyes at Yami and hissed in annoyance.

"I ought to string you up by your family jewels for trying to leave without so much as saying 'hi' to me," He attempted to glare at his adopted friend, but the look was slightly diminished by the fact that Malik had yet to notice that a few strands of his hair were on fire.

Ryou groaned and looked at Yami hopelessly, "He locked himself up in the attic again." He said apologetically, "I forgot he was up there!" He explained, groaning at the slip of his mind.

The other orphan just shrugged and grinned crookedly up at the seething Malik.

"I don't know how you managed that, it's not like he's particularly quiet," Yami called, loud enough for Malik to hear.

"You learn to block the explosions out after a while..." Ryou said flatly.

"It's okay..." Yami lowered his voice and shot a sideways glance at Bakura who was busy watching Malik attempt to walk down the stairs. The pyromaniac kept swaying like a drunk, "You were focused on someone... else."

Ryou burned red at Yami's accusation and began stuttering his denials, but the red-eyed orphan just tuned him out and returned his crimson gaze to his descending friend.

"It's your fault you're always holed up in the attic like a hermit," Yami drawled before adding, "Your hair is on fire."

Momentarily distracted, the pyromaniac turned to see if it was true. Unfazed, he put the tips out and finished his trip down the stairs. He stood in front of his friend, his face a mask of irritation.

The mask abruptly cracked when Malik flung his arms around Yami in a tight hug, "I can't fool you, can I?" He demanded, grinning widely.

Yami rolled his eyes and squirmed in his friend's vice-like grip, "Of course not."

In truth he was a bit freaked out that Malik had decided to hug him. His friend wasn't known to just embrace someone at random. Not unless he was planning something... Crimson eyes widened as he felt Malik positioning his leg behind Yami's knee. He twisted his head just in time to see Malik's wicked smirk.

"You son of a—!" He never got to finish.

Malik swept his legs out from under his body, causing Yami to crash to the ground and crack his head on the hardwood floor. The human groaned, rubbing the back of his head and glaring daggers at his friend.

"I'm going to castrate you," He snarled and leapt to his feet. Malik just smirked and let Yami tackle him. The both tumbled onto the floor and their tussles quickly dissolved into a massive wrestling match, the whole thing done on the dusty ground. Yami spat curses and Malik shouted retorts, but judging at Ryou and Leo's nonplussed expressions, the demons figured this was perfectly normal.

Bakura sighed and looked at Yugi, "Can we go yet?"

Yugi nodded, "We'll have to peel Yami up off the floor –but sure." The incubus looked around as if he finally noticed something was wrong, "Hey, where did Mariku go?"

Bakura glanced around in surprise. Sure enough the vampire was gone, having slipped away without so much as alerting his clan that he was leaving.

"That's strange" The Chimera said lowly. He exchanged a secretive look with Yugi that went unnoticed by everyone else. The incubus nodded and stared at the laughing Malik.

"You don't suppose that Yami's friend over there could be—"

"Maybe," Bakura's eyes narrowed, "Just maybe."

--::--

Mariku was sitting on top the roof of the car when they finally left, chewing gum and staring lazily at the sky. Yami was faintly surprised to see the vampire chewing something as mundane as gum. The human was expecting something a bit more interesting, like a finger or something.

The sun was setting and it was less intense than it had been earlier so the vampire wasn't in danger of getting a bad sun burn. However, just to be safe he had the hood to his jacket up. His lavender eyes were dark with a million thoughts he would no doubt refuse to share. He remained oblivious to the group coming back to the car or

"Get off my car!" Yugi whined smacking Mariku's feet with his pale hands, "You're scuffing up the paint!"

Mariku's attention was forcibly dragged down to the small incubus near his feet. He could see the other's concern reflected for him in violet eyes and merely grinned in response. The vampire sighed and hopped off the car, "You love this car more than you'll love any person."

"Damn straight," Yugi said with a smile as he walked to the driver's side and got in. It was clear he was still worried about his friend but let the unspoken conversation peter out into nothing.

Bakura as usual had shotgun, cinnamon eyes drifting up to Mariku as he got in. He said nothing, obviously being able to read his best friend a ton better than Yugi was able to. Instead he turned towards Yami with a dark smirk and climbed into the car.

A feeling of strong frustration welled up in Yami's belly for some inexplicable reason as he watched Bakura climb into the passenger seat. The feeling alarmed him down to the root. What the hell?

If Yami didn't know any better, than he might have said that he was getting kind of jealous of Bakura being able to sit so close to Yugi. But that was ridiculous! Yami crossed his arms over his stomach to keep the burning feeling in his belly at bay. He didn't want to sit up front anyway. Yugi had already proven once that he was a crazy driver, and Yami was willing to bet that the incubus didn't even have airbags.

"Let's see what type of music Yami listens to," Bakura said lazily as Mariku clambered in through the side window. Much to Yami's shock, the chimera pulled his worn leather CD case from Yugi's glove department. The incubus frowned, looking at Bakura critically.

"Why was that in my car?"

"More importantly, why do you have my CDs?" Yami demanded, his eyes narrowing into ruby slits.

Bakura fished a burned mix from one of the pockets and jammed it into Yugi's CD player, "I swiped it from your bag when we were at your house." He explained, gazing at the car's system before pressing the 'play' button.

_**Night of Fire**_filled the speakers with all of its disco/dance glory. The three demons turned in their seats to stare at Yami. He was grateful Yugi had yet to turn the car on, because he might have just crashed from the shock. Yami would have thought that by their reactions they never would've heard of 'music' before.

"Night of Fire?" Yugi asked, as though it was a real question. "Hasn't anyone told you Disco is dead?"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Yami said shortly, silently pouting. He flashed Yugi a challenging look, "You three are just heathens compared to the gods of music."

"I wouldn't call disco worthy of the title 'god.'" Bakura replied dryly before flipping through the CD until he came across a song he actually liked. It wasn't disco, but a classic. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. It was a good song Bakura approved of and could listen to throughout the ages.

They began the drive home in relative silence. 'Relative' being quite loud, as Mariku had gotten distracted by an argument Bakura and he were having about riding the bus in the mornings. Yugi had explained to the confused Yami that this was a discussion the two would always dissolve into whenever they felt they needed something to argue about.

Apparently the two liked to argue for the sake of arguing. That was what made them the best of friends.

'_That and they're ape-shit crazy,'_ Yami thought.

The Chimera was in favor of driving, but Mariku leaned more towards riding the bus.

"You don't even have a car!" The vampire argued, "And besides, the gas money is coming out of _your_ pocket."

Bakura smirked, "Who said it would be coming out of _my_ pocket? Besides, I can fix the car situation with a wire clothes hanger and a few melted wires."

Yami frowned as a sudden thought occurred to him, "Are you a kleptomaniac?" He asked Bakura, hanging onto the back seat so he could get a good look at the jerk who stole his CDs. Two mischievous brown eyes peered back at Yami from a scarred face, and that was all the information the human really needed.

"It's been clinically diagnosed by Serenity and the four other unfortunate doctors Bakura stole from," Yugi said distractedly as he eyed his gas gauge, "Speaking of gas, I'm almost on empty guys. I have to pull over to a station and refuel." He gazed pointedly at Mariku, "Isn't it your turn to pay for the gas?"

"Oh yeah," The vampire pressed his nose against the tinted glass, peering at their surroundings, "Yup... Okay."

"Do you even have your wallet with you?" Yugi asked blandly.

The vampire laughed, "Of course Mariku doesn't! He got it stolen by a few witches back in the demon planes last week!" He settled back down in his seat, unperturbed by the whole situation.

"Gas is _not_ cheap" Yugi looked at the rear-view mirror with narrowed eyes directed at Mariku, "So why don't you get out and push," He hissed.

The vampire just shrugged and reclined back in his seat, looking not at all concerned by what he was doing. As far as brute strength went, Mariku was the strongest in their group which was why it was so surprising Yami had even managed to pull his arm out of Mariku's grasp, even if it had been just a light hold. He could push three of Yugi's cars with no sweat if it came down to it. But for now he yawned and fell asleep on the armrest. Yugi attempted to take a few calming breaths before pulling over at a nearby Quick Trip and cutting off power to the engine. He got out of the car and eyed the Chimera, "Bakura... do you happen to have any cash on you? I'm broke." He asked hopefully.

The Chimera shrugged and then smirked, "I don't visit Middle-earth often enough to have their currency, but that's a problem that can be easily fixed." He wiggled his white eyebrows and smirked suggestively. It was more than obvious that Bakura had an idea how to remedy their problem, and it was most likely illegal.

Yami rolled his eyes and climbed out of the car, resting his forearm on the top of the incubi's ride. "I'll cover for you so we can refuel the bat-mobile." He chose to ignore the look of surprise sent his way by Yugi and smirked, "You did give me a ride to the orphanage and that would've taken me at least an hour on foot, paying for the gas it took to get me there cuts us even, got it?"

"Sure," Yugi grinned in surprise. He knew the talk he and Yami had on the swing set had changed things between them, but he hadn't been expecting an offer like this. It seemed as if the human really _hadn't_ cared about how Yugi had snapped when they first met.

Yami gave them assessing looks and quirked an eyebrow at them, "You guys want anything while I'm gone?" He asked.

Yami figured it was most likely a stupid thing to ask considering he had no idea what these demons could possibly want from a human convenience store, but asked anyway because it was polite. However, he was genuinely surprised when Bakura and Yugi looked up with grins on their faces. Mariku was fast asleep, so he'd missed out on Yami's offer.

"Yeah, go get me a lighter," Bakura grinned.

Yami frowned at the strangeness behind the request and blinked. Slowly he looked at Bakura, "Why? Can't you summon fire on your own?" It seemed a bit redundant to the human, but who was he to second guess the strangeness of Bakura.

"Of course." A haughty reply, "I just like seeing how humans think they can bottle it. I have to admit, the mechanics behind it are a bit clever."

"And you people look at _me_ weird," Yami muttered. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Sorry, I'm not eighteen yet. I can't buy lighters. Anything else you want?"

Bakura looked distinctly disappointed before he looked up and considered his possibilities. His dark eyes lit up as another idea struck him. Yami figured it was no doubt just as stupid as the last request. "Get me a Twinkie. Those are also human creations that utterly fascinate me."

Ugh, no. It was stupider.

"What's so fascinating about them – their abilities which ensure survival in a nuclear holocaust?" Yami asked dumbfounded before shaking his head in clear defeat before turning towards Yugi. "What about you?"

The incubus cast purple eyes up towards the sky, mentally running through the list what a gas station had on its shelves. He settled on something simple, "Go get me a 'Monster'."

Yami blanched. He narrowed crimson eyes on the incubus and smirked at him, "Let me guess, 'no pun intended'?"

Yugi actually groaned and threw a balled up piece of paper he found on the bottom of his car floor at Yami, "Do you smell that? That's a part of my soul burning away. Hear how it sizzles." He growled playfully. Yami merely smirked when the paper bounced harmlessly off of him.

"What do burning souls smell like?"

"I don't know why don't you come over here and take a whiff for yourself?" Yugi suggest with a dark glint in his eyes.

Yami snorted and rolled his eyes, "I'd rather not go anywhere within your arms reach – short that it is."

Yugi flushed at the jibe against his height and growled, "Go fetch me my caffeine addiction and quit screwing around!"

A playful glint entered Yami's crimson eyes as it became clear he was rather enjoying this game with Yugi. Matching wits and rebuttals always sparked a teasing edge in Yami, and he found it was easy to fall into such a pattern with Yugi. It was easy with Bakura too, but it felt a ton more natural with the grumpy incubus.

"Screwing around?" He mused, "You _wish_ I would," Yami retorted lazily as he turned to stroll towards the counter. He ignored how the incubi's jaw dropped open and Bakura's roar of laughter. Yami hid a small smile, chuckling softly at how he managed to throw the fiery incubus off again.

He walked into the gas station and immediately went around to the well-memorized aisles. They were familiar, as he had lived in this area of town recently and had actually gone to this gas station quite frequently to pick up quick meals. It wasn't like his foster parents actually cared if he ate or not, so Yami had to make due wherever he could. The cashier was an inattentive man in his late forties who merely looked up lazily from his paper when Yami entered. Soon he was immersed in his news once again.

Yami rolled his eyes. He doubted that anything less than a hold up would capture the man's attention. Maybe not even that. He'd probably just let the robbers walk out with anything they wanted as long as they didn't disturb him.

He approached the counter and paid for the gas, lining up the items he wanted to buy. The man grunted and didn't breathe a word. Yami quirked an eyebrow, if this was a normal day he would have written the guy off as weird. However at the moment he was currently riding in a car with three demons, attending a demonic high school in Hell and somewhat sort of liking his new 'acquaintances' – more so than he liked any human aside from Leo, Malik, and Ryou.

So maybe Yami was just the weird one.

Not that it made any sense for _him_ to be the oddball, but it seemed all the more likely as each day passed.

The human glanced up as his items were bagged, his gaze drifting out towards the group he had left waiting by Yugi's car. He frowned in confusion when he saw that both Bakura and Mariku had gotten out of the car and were standing behind Yugi with their arms crossed aggressively over their chests. It was strange to see Mariku as the vampire had been happily taking a nap just a few moments ago. All three demons were glaring at two figures which had joined them in Yami's absence.

Yami's eyes widened and a cold fist closed over his throat as recognition tore through him.

Espa and Vivian Roba, they were the couple which had adopted him previously.

Yami could remember with vivid clarity how he had faced off against these two before in the past. Espa was a slow witted gambler, whose love for money was much greater than his love of personal hygiene. He was a brutal and angry man but for the most part he ignored Yami so long as the orphan stayed out of his way.

It was Vivian who gave Yami the creeps.

The woman was disgusting. The smell of sex and drugs clung to her like a parasite. Vivian was a strung out whore who did absolutely nothing to hide the fact. Yami didn't have the slightest clue as to how she had managed to wriggle around the outlines drawn out by the laws to adopt him, but that hadn't stopped everyone else from adopting him. Needless to say Yami didn't have much faith in the 'System.' After all, how could he when Yami was the only one who could see the bitch for what she truly was.

If Yami believed in a god, he'd be asking why it had such a cruel sense of humor.

There wasn't much lower a person could sink than Vivian level. She was part of the scum which plagued the earth and no one seemed to be aware of it aside from Yami. She could manipulate people at the drop of a hat and curl them around her fingers like rings. Vivian was a slimy worm that was used to getting everything she wanted.

For a long time she had her eye on Yami.

Vivian was a foul woman who didn't make a damn attempt to hide her lust from Yami. Her supposed husband, Espa, didn't seem to care that his wife sank her claws into anyone. Yami was certain Vivian would screw a corpse if it could get a stiffy. He cringed at the thought.

After failing horribly in her attempt to seduce Yami, she had decided to attempt to get physical with him. The orphan didn't know what type of freaky things his ex-foster mother was into, but he never wanted a repeat of what happened. She had bitten him.

Hard enough to break the skin and make him bleed.

The orphan's stomach churned at the memory and his grip tightened around the plastic bag containing the Twinkies and energy drinks. What were they doing talking to Bakura and the others? What could that mean?

With his heart thudding in his chest and his hand creeping up to his throat, subconsciously brushing against the area where Vivian had bitten him, Yami left the gas station and slowly approached the others.

He hesitated for a moment as he got into earshot, simply hovering. No one had noticed him yet. Yami could hear voices raised in argument from where he was standing. The gas station was utterly deserted and the roads were empty, leaving no one else to overhear the conversation – if it could be called a 'conversation.'

"--watch your tongue if you wish to keep it," Yugi snarled, his back stiff and arms spread out by his side. Yami instinctively knew that if the incubi's wings were visible, they would be arched out behind him in an impressive sight. A shiver ran down Yami's spine as he bore witness to the terrifying sight of three pissed off demons.

Especially Yugi.

His beautiful eyes were glowing with a soft purple light, clear rage etched on his lovely face. His full lips were pulled back in a feral snarl, delicate fangs bared over pearly white teeth. Yami's gaze traveled over the angry form appreciatively and he couldn't quite hide his smirk.

Obviously whatever Espa and Vivian had said to the group hadn't been remotely nice, and Yami took a certain type of pleasure out of seeing this clan square off against them. Vivian and Espa didn't stand a snowballs chance in hell against three demons!

Ruby eyes faltered slightly however once the human took in the couple's calm composure. What the hell? Fangs, glowing eyes, and a snarl were staring them in the face and these bastards were still unfazed? What else did they need to see to get freaked out? Casper the friendly ghost?

"Tell me, what's a pretty little thing like you attached to my whore of a son?" Vivian purred, one pale hand reaching out to touch Yugi's cheek. Yami growled softly, ready to fling his bag straight at the woman's face, but settled down once he saw the incubus slap her hand away.

"He's not yours any longer," Yugi hissed, "And you're one to talk, aren't you?" He crinkled his nose in disgust, "You reek of sex and the devil knows what else." He looked faintly repulsed by the sensory overload it was no doubt causing.

"And you don't," Vivian noted with a sultry note, "Has Yami been holding out on you?" Her full, cherry painted lips curved up at the corner in a smirk, "You know you could just force him, one bite is all it would take from an incubus."

Yami felt an icy sort of realization begin to slowly creep through his veins.

How did Vivian know Yugi was an incubus? Yami swallowed thickly as his hand crept up his throat to caress the small bite mark that still remained from Vivian. A cold fist closed over his heart.

Could it be? Was it possible...?

Vivian was a succubus...?

Somehow, Yami couldn't muster enough emotion to be surprised. It left him gripped by a chilling sort of horror. He had been adopted by demons? They had been so cruel to him... and all this time they had just played with him like a toy, passed off as humans. It made so much sense to him now. How two of the most inept people he had ever had the misfortune of meeting were allowed to adopt.

His gaze snapped back up to the argument as Yugi wasn't finished. Bakura and Mariku had kept a silent role throughout this, choosing instead to let Yugi handle it. However, judging by the tightening of their jaws and balled up fists by their sides, they were close to snapping.

"I don't take those unwilling," Yugi hissed angrily, his jaw tight, "I'm not like _you_."

Vivian smirked and leaned in close to Yugi, her voice dropping low enough that Yami could no longer hear what they were saying. The human vaguely wondered if one could catch an STD just by being in Vivian's close proximity. She was certainly creeping into Yugi's personal space. The incubus looked less than comfortable with her being so close, but merely glared at her headlong, refusing to be cowed

Yami clenched his teeth together and let out a low hiss. Why was Yugi putting up with that crap, and why was he bothering to face off against the succubus. All to protect Yami's dignity and reputation from the threat of meaningless words spouted off by some half-baked succubus?

Terrifying.

The human stubbornly pushed aside the warm feelings that act had began to stir within him and instead steeled his resolve. He had enough of sitting back and watching Yugi defend his honor, besides Yami didn't need to be protected. Not when he was perfectly capable of doing it himself.

However, Yami hadn't taken two steps when something changed on Yugi's face.

The human watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as the normally gentle Yugi's face morphed into a mask of homicidal rage. Bakura and Mariku's eyes widened dramatically and both looked numb. Yami felt his heart drop to his feet.

Whatever Vivian had said to merit a reaction like _that_ couldn't be good.

It got a whole lot worse when Yugi let out an incoherent screech and flung himself at Vivian. The incubus tackled her to the floor, the two sex demons a blur of limbs as they spat and snarled at one another. Yami broke off into a sprint just in time to see Bakura clothesline Espa, who had been trying to sneak behind the wrestling couple to get a cheap shot in on Yugi.

"Enough!" Yami shouted at the fighting demons. Seeing as they weren't listening to him, Yami got a running head start and plowed into Bakura's side. The chimera stumbled, causing him to break his strangle hold on Espa. The blue-haired demon backed away quickly and snagged Vivian out from underneath a nearly feral Yugi.

"Yami!" Bakura grunted amazed at just how much strength the human possessed when he had his mind focused on one thing. "What the hell did you do that for!" He demanded sharply, not at all pleased with having been torn from breaking the neck of that bastard.

Espa quickly collected his bloody mate and broke off into a run to his parked car. Yami's stomach churned at the sight before he ignored Bakura and marched over to the furious incubus.

Yugi didn't look as if his mind was in the right place. Purple eyes narrowed an unseeing while his face seemed to permanently be etched in a snarl. Yami grabbed onto Yugi's shoulders and shook the incubi's entire body.

"Yugi, damn it! Yugi snap out of it!"

There was a blink of response.

The incubus could hear Yami plead with him to come to his senses and cup calloused hands against Yugi's cheeks. The human's deep voice massaged Yugi's senses, blanketing him in a quilt of security. He wanted to stay in his comfortable position forever, but the calming voice was becoming more urgent, and that urgency pierced through Yugi's pleasant haze. Very reluctantly, Yugi complied.

When he finally noticed what was going on, Yugi realized the human's face was a mere inch from his face, staring intently at the incubus for any sign of life.

"Yami? What're you doing here?" He asked softly, "What happened anyway? I remember Vivian..." He trailed off quickly, not knowing Yami had witnessed the entire thing. He didn't want to upset the orphan with a reminder of his last foster family. His lip curled in disgust. Those hateful creatures. Yugi _really_ didn't want Yami to know what Vivian had told him.

"_I'm not the one thinking about mating with a human," She laughed at the alarmed look on Yugi's face, "You don't hear it?" She asked haughtily, "The voice of Cupid is following you around – prepping you, he has already struck my pathetic mortal with an arrow, he's–"_

_Yugi clenched his jaw, "He isn't pathetic!" He interrupted, "And he's not yours!"_

"_But is he yours?" Vivian asked with an air of wicked politeness, "I wonder..." Her eyes narrowed with the knowledge of a well-kept secret, "...How it will sadden you to know" She drew closer to Yugi, her tongue lightly flicked against his lobe. He didn't flinch away this time, but Vivian wasn't daunted. She had knowledge that would make Yugi lose his cool._

"_Will it make you miserable to know...?" She smirked against the incubi's face, "That I very nearly had my way with Yami..."_

His anger resurfaced and he sat up quickly a snarl pulling at his lips. Amethyst eyes wildly searched for the succubus. Yami pushed the incubus back down, forcing him to calm down.

"Listen," Yami said softly. He turned towards Bakura and Mariku to let them know he was talking to them too, "I'm not going to pretend that I know a damn thing about clans, demons, or whatever else you guys do."

He sighed tiredly, the knowledge that his previous foster family had been demons oddly not affecting him as bad as he thought it would. Sure, he had thought they were human, but it was just as well that they were demons.

Yami was beginning to learn that the term 'monster' was only as accurate as the people it was used to describe. He wouldn't call Bakura and the others 'monsters' even though they were clearly demons.

No, Yami had seen true monsters.

He looked fiercely up at them, his grip tightening on Yugi's shoulders, "I don't need rescuing from problems of my past. I handled them once and I can do it again."

His expression softened slightly as the silence stretched between their group.

"But thanks anyway," He muttered.

Yugi smiled.

"You're welcome."

Despite the demons being demons, the constant near-death experiences, and getting lost. The teenager couldn't help but notice that he honestly had a real attempt at being friends with Bakura and the rest of the clan.

And Yugi...

In retrospect to everything Yami had gone through, they were somewhat normal.

Perhaps Yami really was weird.

He got along better with demons than he did his own race. That wasn't what most people would consider normal behavior.

Yami smirked slightly as he climbed into the car after taking a leaf from Bakura's book and picking Yugi's pocket.

"I'm driving," he announced to the group, much to their surprise. Yugi let out a yelp of shock and double checked his pockets for his missing keys. He shot Bakura a baleful glare.

"You're a bad influence," He accused.

Bakura just smirked as he picked up the forgotten bag and climbed into the car.

Yami chuckled softly as he fired up the engine.

After all, who really knew what 'normal' was anymore?

**--::--**

Yugi seemed to have a sudden thought as they pulled into Yami's driveway. He looked questioningly at the human, violet eyes glowing dimly in the shrouding darkness.

Yami noticed the porch light was on to his house. Shadi and Isis were probably awake in the living room – ready to read him the riot act as soon as he stepped through the door. Excuses were already bouncing around in his head, although he was sure they would eventually get sick of the 'I-almost-got-killed-by-a-psycho-demon' excuse sooner or later. He filed that one away for a later use.

"What is it?" Yami asked when he finally noticed Yugi staring at him. They had dropped the others off at their respective homes. Or rather the yawning gaps of darkness where several portals to hell were situated. Yami was is no hurry to find out where they lead and where those two lived.

The incubus just looked down at his fidgeting hands, thankful the darkness hid his blushing face well enough. He could feel Yami's unflinching gaze on him.

"I was just wondering if I was going to see you at school tomorrow," He glanced back up at Yami, almost shyly.

The human paused at that.

He mentally ran through the pros and cons of the list he had been making in his mind. It was dangerous for him to be around so many demons all the time, and it wasn't as if Yami could do a good job at protecting himself. Logically the answer was no.

However, what Yami had seen today made him put a little more faith in the ideology of a 'clan.'

Oh what the hell. The worst Yami could lose was his life. It was worth a shot. He smirked over at Yugi.

"Yeah, I'll be at Teratos."

--::--

_**It's back to Teratos we go in the next chapter! I bet you all missed it! I certainly did.**_

_**Holy crap, do they ever do any **__learning__** in that school? Probably not, but who cares? I don't, and I'm calling the shots here! So har.**_

_**Remember guys, if you guilt me enough my writing will increase as the nightmares are quite tormenting. Drop me a line and tell me what you think of the story! I love hearing what you have to say!**_

_**R&R!**_

_**ZB **_


	12. Better Days

_**Sorry for the slow update guys! This chapter is completely new. There's nothing even remotely similar to the old Teratos in this chapter!**_

_**Thanks to Kytrin for the speedy Betaing. This story would be dead without her :D**_

_**Dig in and tell me what you guys thought of it!**_

_--::--_

_Yami yawned widely as he was pulled out of his sleep by an insistent tapping at his door. Annoying. Why was someone bothering him before he had to get up for school? It wasn't like he had the opportunity to sleep in that often. Yami certainly wasn't intending on breaking his well cultivated pattern of procrastinating on getting up. He enjoyed the warmth of his bed far too much to do the 'early thing' in the mornings._

"_Come in," He slurred crankily, all while keeping his face mashed into his pillow. He was far too warm and comfortable to actually get up from his bed. Whatever the person wanted could wait until he had woken up to a nice cup of something hot and preferably heavily caffeinated. Until then, they could just kiss his tan ass and wait for him to wake up._

_The door creaked open and Yami growled irritably when a rush of cool air brushed over his bare chest. He shuddered and reached down blindly to hitch the blanket up higher to hide more of his skin. He just wanted Isis or Shadi to tell him to get ready or whatever it was they wanted so he could happily ignore them and get back to sleeping._

"_I take it you're not a morning person?" A soft voice purred from the doorway._

_Wait a second._

_That wasn't Isis or Shadi..._

_...That was..._

"_Yugi!" Yami shot awake with a yelp and sat up straight. Then realizing he was completely bare-chested and mostly nude – clad only in his boxers, the human let out an undignified noise before snatching the blanket around him in an attempt to cover himself. That only caused the incubus to let out a soft chuckle of amusement._

"_Do you mind telling me what the hell you're doing in my room?" He demanded, trying to fight back the blush the other's presence provoked, "I was kind of busy sleeping." _

"_I noticed," Yugi twirled the ring his car keys were on around his index finger, eyeing Yami with undisguised amusement, "You missed your bus this morning. Shadi asked if I could give you a ride to school since I was running a bit late myself this morning and they were on their way out the door." _

"_Oh," Yami said lamely, frowning as he listened intently to the sounds of the house. "Where are they now?" _

"_Work," Yugi's smile took on a distinct sultry edge and he slowly closed the door behind him, "We're alone in the house by ourselves Yami." _

_A shot of shock coursed through the human at the tone Yugi's voice took, his heart jumping to his throat._

"_What of it?" Yami cautiously ventured, keeping his gaze on the incubus._

_The click of the lock falling into place echoed in the nearly silent room and the incubi's hand slipped off the knob. Yami followed his clansmen's movements with caution, trying to ignore how his breath caught with anticipation when Yugi looked his way with lust darkened eyes. There was no denying the tension which suddenly mounted when Yugi's soft lips curved into a teasing smile._

_With a sway of his hips that was entirely sensual, Yugi prowled over towards the stunned Yami and extended a pale hand to tenderly caress his cheek. _

_The incubus leaned forward close enough Yami could see himself reflected in Yugi's large, enticing eyes. A hitch of breath and Yami felt the temperature of the room shoot up five degrees. Suddenly Yami felt very, _very_ naked sitting on his bed clad only in his boxers and wrapped in a blanket._

"_Why don't we take advantage of this opportunity?" Yugi suggested with a sultry purr and his hand drifted across a tan cheek, his fingers winding back and tangling in Yami's thick hair, "Who knows the next time it'll be presented to us so..." His eyes flicked down to Yami's body, the blanket slipping off the human's shoulders, "...gift-wrapped."_

_Yami's eyes slid halfway closed as he felt Yugi's warm breath ghost over his face. His lips tingled and itched with the desire to shorten the distance between him and the incubus. Yami's hand found itself sliding around Yugi's waist, almost eager to pull the other in close and taste those tempting lips. They hovered a mere inch away from Yami's._

"_Wait," Yami breathed, feeling trapped in the incubi's hypnotic gaze, "I-... we-... I mean that is, I can't."_

_A smirking Yugi slipped his hips over Yami's so he was seated on the human's lap, pulling their chests against one another. Yami became hyper aware of Yugi's black shirt brushing erotically across his bare skin, in just the most fleeting of touches. He forcibly strangled a whine that was just begging to be heard. _

_Yugi's eyes gleamed darkly and Yami suppressed a mental groan._

_Right. Demonic hearing._

_Damn Yami's selective memory! That was going to get him in trouble one of these days._

_More trouble than he was already in at least._

"_You don't seem to be putting up much of a fight," Yugi purred as he gently nuzzled the crook of Yami's neck. His lips curled and he lightly peppered a path of distracting kisses along the curve of the human's throat until Yami was left twitching with frustrated desire._

"_Don't resist me," Yugi continued silkily, pulling the blanket away from Yami's body so he could slide his hands along the exposed skin, "I might be a demon, but I can show you a heaven the likes you've never seen before..." He dipped his head near Yami's ear, his fangs brushing against the soft lobe._

_Yami found himself nodding his consent before his brain could catch up and couldn't suppress a groan when Yugi gently pushed him flat on his back. The feel of those fangs brushing so close to Yami's throat sent thrills of fear and arousal sparking through his veins. _

_It reminded Yami just how very real and dangerous this incubus was. The demons of lore were no longer just legends to him. Somehow Yami couldn't summon enough willpower to care. Oh lord, he even found himself liking that thrill of danger and those sharp canines that teased across his skin. God Yami was about six different kinds of screwed up, wasn't he?_

_Those clever, talented hands were roaming across his body and chest, dusting kisses and gentle bites in all of Yami's most sensitive areas. It elicited easy gasps of pleasure from the human, all of which had him writhing underneath Yugi in seconds. Ruby eyes flashed up at the incubus, trying to summon enough inner strength to challenge the demon._

_But dear _Lord_ it felt so nice just to sit still and take the incubi's advances._

"_You're going to have to work a lot harder than that if you want me to submit," Yami growled breathlessly, even as he bit back a moan as Yugi's hands drifted past his navel. The human attempted to sit up to gain enough leverage so he could wiggle free from those devilish hands but he was merely pushed back down. An amused chuckle came from the demon._

_Yami was vaguely aware of Yugi's hands pausing, cool fingers brushing slowly to a halt on flushed skin. Amethyst eyes were glowing with a soft violet hue and he inched forward, his lips brushing tenderly across Yami's jawbone, "Such a fighter aren't you...?" _

_His hands resumed their southbound journey, electing a groan of surprise from Yami as talented fingers found purchase. A smirk curled up on cherubic lips, a delicate fang peeked out from Yugi's mouth._

"_No matter. Fight all you want my Darkness," Yugi purred and he began to stroke the human's already stiffening member to hardness. Yami let out a soft cry, his hips arching off the bed to grind into Yugi's hand, "You'll be mine soon enough." _

There was a sharp knock at the door that had Yami freezing in the tangle of sheets. He stared at the door, wondering who could possibly have a death wish for interrupting.

"Yami!" Yugi snarled from the opposite side, "It's time to wake your lazy ass up! We're late for school!"

Yami frowned in sheer confusion, feeling a pull at his subconscious. _Wait, what?_ His eyes narrowed on the incubus on top of him that was seemingly oblivious to the knocking. The steady rapping was slowly increasing in volume until Yami simply couldn't ignore it.

The image of Yugi faded and wavered, as the fantasy began to shatter.

It was a dream?

All too soon, Yami was ripped from Yugi's warm hands and his eyes snapped open. The force from which he was pulled from his dream was almost enough to make him tumble headfirst out of his bed.

"_What the fuck_...?" He panted harshly and twisted his body, only to find his legs trapped in his tangled heap of blankets. Yami flushed darkly as he spotted the problem his dream caused rising between his legs.

"Yami!" Yugi called again, this time sounding slightly worried. He gave another anxious knock, "Are you waking up?"

Yami jolted at the sound of Yugi on the opposite side of the door, a flush darkening his features even further as he realized _who_ he had been dreaming about. Oh lord! Yami had been having a wet dream about _Yugi_. The incubus of all people! He bit his bottom lip and panicked.

"Uh, yeah!" He called out, "I'm up. Give me a second, I need a shower!"

Bad.

_What the hell was Yugi doing here anyway?_ His thoughts spiraled back to his dream as he leapt out of his bed and practically sprinted into the adjoining bathroom. He shed himself of his boxers and turned on the shower, not caring enough to wait for the temperature to adjust. He would need a cold one anyway.

Yugi couldn't be here to-...?

No, no way!

He could hear Yugi making an impatient noise on the other side of the door and Yami was relieved to hear the incubus walking away.

Was relief often accompanied by crushing disappointment...?

The human groaned as he remembered the reason for the incubi being in his house so early in the morning. Bakura had mentioned that the clan would be taking him to school this morning. Something about initiating him or some demon nonsense Yami didn't really understand.

Ugh, damn his overactive imagination!

Yami shook his head and shuddered as the cold water hit his flushed skin, drawing a soft pant from his lips. His erection gave an aching throb between his legs, reminding the teenager of its distracting presence. Yami's 'problem' wasn't going away any time soon. He would have to take care of it himself...

Yami's grasped himself, groaning at the feel of delicious sparks dancing across from his touch. He gave his shaft a drag, electing another low moan. He pressed his shoulders against the damp tiles, his ruby eyes sliding shut.

Almost immediately, his overdriven sex drive conjured up an image of Yugi. Yami gasped softly and his back arched into his hand, imagining Yugi being the one to touch him like this. Pleasure raced through Yami's veins as the images became more elaborate. The teenager flushed darkly, another soft groan pulling from his throat.

'_Perhaps...'_ Yami's lust fogged mind reasoned, _'Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to indulge in the rest of the fantasy. Just this one time...' _

After all, what could it hurt?

--::--

Yugi fidgeted as he waited for Yami to emerge from his room. The rest of the clan was waiting in the kitchen for him to fetch the human. It had been agreed the previous night that they would go pick Yami up as a group and drive over to school together. Granted they would have to take two cars, but they hadn't seemed to care much about that detail.

Bakura claimed that it was best if Yami re-entered the school with the whole clan to prove to the rest of the school that Yami was one of them. It was as much a chance for displaying their dominance and securing Yami's safety than anything else. To mess with one member of the clan was to mess with the rest of them. If one member was hurt the rest of the clan would quickly follow, declaring the slight like a declaration of war and treating it as such.

So now they were all crowded in the house and wondering just what was taking Yami so long to get up and get ready. They were already late enough for school as it was, not that they truly cared. Attendance was optional for the most part... Just so long as you could get away with it.

_Most_ in the clan could.

In the end, the short attention spans of Bakura and Mariku came into play. The chimera leapt to his feet and began to pace furiously, his irritation making his send glares in the direction of Yami's room.

Yugi had been certain that Bakura was glaring hard enough at the door, it began to smoke.

Eventually, having grown tired of Bakura toying with the very flammable wood, a sly Seto had suggested that Yugi be the one to fetch their missing clansman. The rest of the clan had immediately jumped on the chance much to Yugi's morbid embarrassment. Joey began to make love bird eyes at Yugi, something which nearly tempted the normally pacifistic incubus into violence.

Grudgingly, Yugi got up and stormed out of the kitchen towards Yami's room to drag the perpetually cranky bastard out of his cozy den.

Stupid clan, making Yugi into the bad guy.

Stupid Seto for coming up with the idea.

Stupid Yugi for agreeing to it.

Yugi was currently tempted to thump his head against the closest cement wall. Yami was currently... _indisposed_.

It was just the incubi's luck too.

He had felt the hard spike of aroused energy from within the human's room. Yugi would have had to been a fool to miss something that obvious. Especially considering what type of demon he was, Yugi would have technically had to have been blind, deaf, and lame to miss the strong energy coming from Yami.

_Dear Lord_ that boy had some sexually suppressed hormones.

There was absolutely no doubt in Yugi's mind that the human was a virgin. He could feel the untamed energy leaking out from underneath Yami's door. The energy was untouched by another, pure in its texture and feel. Judging from the sound of Yami's shuffling sheets; the human had been having one hell of a wet dream before Yugi interrupted. He mentally winced for interrupting.

That restless, virgin energy was so potent and it had nowhere to escape. It was far too tempting for Yugi to simply ignore. He opened his senses to take a small taste of that energy. Yugi figured it would be fine since any energy he absorbed outside of sex would only be watered down. He could gain no benefit from simply taking it in.

Yugi's breath caught in his throat and he stumbled away from Yami's door, his eyes flying open wide and wings tensing.

It had nearly been his undoing.

Yami's energy was _unbelievable_. It called to each of Yugi's senses, causing his mouth to moisten with venom. Lord. _Yami was an invitation to sin!_

The incubus had never tasted something quite as delicious as Yami's thrumming energy in his twenty-plus years of demonic life. Yugi's mouth watered and he resisted the urge to take another taste. He knew if he did, he would lose all control. His hunger would spiral out of control and he'd rush into Yami's room to seduce the poor human into submission.

Yugi couldn't do that to Yami.

But oh, how his instincts _howled_ at him to.

He wanted desperately to take that human. Pull him close and sully that pure energy personally. Taking that fierce human for himself and never letting him go would be forever enthralling. His heart thumped in his chest.

It would be so _easy_ too... A dark smirk curled at the corners of Yugi's lips, his hand reaching towards the door.

Just a small bite and Yami was his to take...

Yugi tore himself away with a growl of frustration and moved away from the door, resisting the urge to tear out his hair from the roots.

'What's wrong with me?' Yugi mentally snarled at himself, 'One taste of this mortal's watered down backwash and I go crazy?'

The hormones in his body were raging with his lust for the mortal. His instincts snarled and cried out desperately for the human, demanding that Yugi take him.

The incubus was tempted to listen to his raging instincts.

_No_, he couldn't trust himself around Yami right now. With one last longing look at Yami's closed door, he stormed out of the room back into the kitchen. Yugi strode past his surprised clansmen, snagging a confused Bakura and Mariku around the collars before dragging them both outside.

Joey looked over at Seto with confusion once the three demons faded from sight.

"Where d'you suppose _they're_ going?" He quirked a curious eyebrow at his mate, running a hand through corn silk hair.

Seto frowned in confusion as his cousin went ahead and purposefully dragged Bakura and Mariku out of the house.

"I believe Yugi is going to feed," Seto said softly. But why, and for what reason had spurred Yugi into dragging those two idiots out? As far as Seto could recall, Bakura and Mariku usually had to go out of their way to get Yugi to feed...

...But Yugi had gone out of his way to grab them.

That was new.

After all Yugi had recently fed, he shouldn't be growing hungry for at least another two weeks. Especially not with the energy Bakura had given the small incubus. The Chimera was a boundless source of sexual energy even on the laziest of days, something which came from the clan leader's connection with the beasts inside of him. Joey was the same way.

Seto frowned slightly and leaned on his hands. What could have _driven_ Yugi into feeding so early?

An interesting development, Seto noted with keen awareness. His eyes flickered back towards the direction of Yami's room where he could hear the shower running.

Perhaps it had something to do with their new human.

_Strange._

--::--

When Yami finally came into the kitchen he was rubbing a towel through his wet hair, relaxed and pleasantly calm. His eyes travelled over to the group gathered, frowning curiously as he spotted only Joey and Seto present. Hadn't he heard Yugi earlier?

"Where are the others? I thought I heard Yugi," Yami asked the two other demons cautiously. He truthfully didn't know either Joey or Seto very well. He had only met them once before, the time he had freaked out in the hospital room excluded – not that he could remember that well anyway. He was far more comfortable with the two psychos and Yugi.

In hindsight, perhaps he was safer with these two after all.

"Ah, Yugi's out with Bakura and Mariku fee– " Joey trailed off with a yelp as Seto apparently stomped his foot into the werewolves' toes. "Ow! Shit Seto, what the hell did you do that for?" Joey demanded, snarling angrily.

"My foot slipped," Seto said, completely deadpanned. Cold blue eyes shot Joey a warning look, silencing the growling werewolf.

"What my dear mutt meant to say," Seto continued, ignoring Joey's shout of 'You tight-assed prick,' "Yugi is out with Bakura and Mariku, as he's not _feeling_ well at the moment."

"Oh," Yami looked at the two demons and shrugged, trying to shake off the feeling that he had just missed something. He wondered if Yugi really _wasn't_ feeling well. A small fist of concern squeezed in his diaphragm before Yami shook it off.

He looked over at the two demons blankly for a moment before he shrugged and turned around to make himself something to eat. Perhaps these guys were content just to sit around, but the physical needs of Yami's body could not go ignored.

And the first need his body required was caffeine, a request Yami was more than happy to comply with.

As the human fixed himself a cup of hot chocolate which was nothing more than caffeine in disguise – an unusually quiet Yugi walked back in, followed by Bakura and Mariku.

Seto immediately noticed how both Yami and Yugi turned away at precisely the same time upon spotting one another. Both their faces were red and neither seemed to notice the other's discomfort.

_Interesting_.

He and Joey shared an intrigued look, as his mate had caught the exchange too. Seto looked up to meet Bakura's gaze, quirking a brown eyebrow at the chimera's wicked smirk.

Ah, so apparently the chimera had worked out what was happening between the human and his cousin too.

Seto hummed and leaned back in his chair, eyeing Yami carefully. He would be interested to see where this took his cousin. It had been far too long since Yugi had a steady partner, and Seto had always felt somewhat guilty for putting Yugi in his current position. Being an incubus meant plenty of people wanted you for your body, but not many were willing to look into his poor cousin's soul.

It has also made things worse when Seto mated with Joey. The two had fallen in love, soul mates to the very core. It was a rarity beyond belief, but it had happened, leaving Yugi alone as the third wheel. Luckily things had gotten better for the incubus once they merged in with Bakura's clan, which at the time consisted of a blood-thirsty and completely insane Mariku who was still in the process of recovering from his human life, a worried Isis, Shadi, and his brother Mahaado.

They formed a sort of dysfunctional family. All of them with their own screwed up past and history. Their paths all paved with blood, the road to demonic hell. Shadi and Mahaado were a mystery in their own right.

While Seto knew most of the histories of everyone in the clan, he knew practically nothing about Shadi or Mahaado. The latter never stayed in one realm for long, and Shadi was tight-lipped about his past.

It made Seto suspect that perhaps the path to becoming an angel was just as difficult as the one it took to become a demon. There was every chance it could possibly be even harder.

Regardless of the reason, Yugi wasn't alone anymore.

Seto's eyes travelled over to Yami who had finally summoned up enough courage to look over at Yugi. The human was asking his cousin if he was okay, trying to act as if he really didn't care either way. It didn't fool Seto one bit.

The death reaper smirked slightly and looked over at his mate. He reached out underneath the table to wave his fingers against Joey's. The werewolf turned to look at him with a broad smile that touched the icy Seto's heart.

He truly hoped Yugi could one day find warmth and happiness a mate brought.

--::--

Yami climbed out of Yugi's car, ignoring how Bakura and Mariku jabbered on beside him about nothing in particular. The focus of his attention instead was the looming shape of Teratos. The sight was just as impressive a second time and it forced Yami to realize once again that this was reality.

"I'm never going to get used to this," Yami sighed. Bakura thumped him on the back as he passed, propelling a surprised Yami forward. Mariku flashed the human a wicked smirk.

"Don't try to make sense of anything here," The vampire advised.

"Or what? Will I go as bat-shit crazy as you?" Yami challenged with a small grin.

"Don't be ridiculous. Mariku is his own special kind of crazy. You'll have to hang out with us for a long time before you become noticeably insane – by Mariku standards of course. And by that time you'll probably be dead since you humans have short life spans," Bakura added flippantly as an afterthought.

Yami snorted under his breath but chose not to reply. Somehow he doubted that statement was entirely accurate. This particular clan seemed to have all the makings of what most would generally call a crazy epidemic.

Yami just hoped he didn't catch whatever insanity they had.

They could give the crazies at Arkham a run for their money.

They wriggled their way through the crowd. Yami, noticing how a path seemed to open up around Bakura and Mariku, instinctively stuck close enough to them so he could slip through easily. They had already missed their first two classes of the day thanks to their loitering, so the human was surprised to see so many people out in the parking lot.

However, Seto had explained to Yami that Teratos was more like a finishing school despite its misleading name. Students took whatever courses they needed to get by in the human world. Whether those classes involved math, strength control, combat classes, or appearance manipulation, Teratos offered everything.

So in many ways it was like a college. Leave when you want, just so long as you get the grade you needed at the end of the semester you're gold.

Yami looked around at the imps and demons milling around and couldn't help but notice something strange.

Strange for demons at least.

Curious.

The demons seemed to cringe out of his clansmen's way. The eyes of demons followed them jealously, but an unspoken command kept their numbers at bay. However, hard and angry eyes fell on Yami as he passed.

"Guys?" Yami caught up and grabbed onto the strap to Bakura's backpack to gain the Chimera's attention.

The Chimera looked back questioningly.

"Is there some reason everyone is parting like the Red Sea whenever you guys walk by?" Yami demanded, shooting a scowl at the demons staring at him as if he was nothing more than a mildly-entertaining three-star meal. To most of the onlookers that was probably the case.

"Oh, noticed that did you?" Bakura shrugged carelessly, "They're afraid of us because of the strength of our clan."

Yami gave him a blank look and the Chimera rubbed his temples as he fought for patience. He reminded himself that this human was nothing more than an oblivious human cub that had no idea how their world worked.

"As a general rule, demons rarely ever get close enough to anyone they'd consider a 'friend.' Demons have a nasty habit of killing one another just for the hell of it," Bakura shrugged, "Clans are formed when those close bonds form. Because of our natures, it's hard as hell for an outsider to join a clan."

Bakura looked thoughtful, "In fact we haven't had a new member in nearly twenty years, and that was only when my clan merged with Yugi's."

Yami's jaw dropped and his head spun for more reasons than he could voice at once.

Just how old were these people?

And why were they still in _school_?

More importantly, there was a question that pulled itself to the forefront of Yami's mind as it was seemingly the most important.

"You said earlier that I'm a part of the clan," Yami said slowly, "Is that true?"

Bakura nodded.

Yami felt like pulling out his hair out of sheer frustration, "Then how does that make any sense?" He demanded.

"You barely know me and you accept me into the clan so easily?" Yami gave the two demons wary looks, "I thought you said it was almost impossibly to join a clan."

Yami was beginning to grow suspicious that the term 'clan' was synonymous for the word 'gang.' It sort of felt that way to Yami.

What the hell had he gotten involved with?

Bakura smirked wickedly at Yami, "For whatever reason you felt the need to save this brain-dead fool after he nearly killed you."

He reached up and yanked on Mariku's ear, eliciting a satisfying yelp from the vampire, "You were more than within your rights just to let him die."

Yami spluttered wordlessly and opened his mouth to retort, but Bakura cut him off, obviously not having finished what he needed to say.

"The key point here was that you were yourself," Bakura said gruffly, "You didn't want to join our clan for its power or protection. Hell, you probably didn't even give a damn about it."

Yami's heart squeezed with an emotion he rarely felt around those outside the orphanage. Happiness, as simple as that.

He could do nothing to stop the disbelief that wormed its way through his system. They accepted Yami because of _who_ he was? Not who they _wanted_ him to be?

Did that mean they actually liked Yami, surly attitude and all?

He smiled slightly.

However his smile was wiped off his face completely when a gigantic lizard stomped on one of his sneakers, brushing past the human as if he hadn't seen him there. It destroyed the orphan's happy bubble completely. Yami swore violently and hopped up and down on one foot just as they entered the school.

"Watch where you're going Godzilla!" Yami snarled angrily before Yugi snagged his shirt from behind and dragged him away from the growling lizard who had turned around to see who its squishable target was.

"Let's try not to _intentionally_ piss off the locals," Yugi said reasonably as he continued to effortlessly drag the protesting human through the hallways of Teratos. He waved goodbye to the others as he and Joey broke off from the rest of the group to walk towards history.

The incubi's instincts had thankfully calmed down once he had fed again. Unfortunately it meant he had to deal with a teasing Bakura and Mariku over the suddenness of his 'request' – which was putting it lightly considering Yugi had all but dragged the two out of the house for privacy. Yugi had been forced to explain his momentary lapse of character to the two demons. They had simply pounced on Yugi the instant the incubus finished explaining his problem with twin smirks shining clearly on their faces.

Yugi pushed the thoughts aside as they walked into their classroom and took their seats. He took a place on Yami's right, while Joey took the human's left. Both demons chose to ignore their new clansman's expression of surprise, each silently smirking as the human took to sulking in between them.

Dr. Vulmer floated to the front of the classroom and turned to nod over at the classroom.

"I'm glad you all could join me today," He looked pointedly over at Yami as he said this. The human shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The ghost smiled and began class, pointing over at the board.

"Now if you'll be so kind as to turn to page 32 in our books, we will begin."

--::--

**BLAH! **

**This chapter is the second shortest of the fic so far. Sorry for the tiny chapter and the slow update. I had to start from scratch for Teratos in this chapter, and I have to admit that it was strange.**

**I hope you guys liked the puzzleshipping sexual tension in the chapter! :D It was... kind of fun to write. I loved tormenting them!**

**Anyway, tell me what you thought of this chapter. It being new material and all I get nervous about that type of thing.**

**R&R**


	13. Genesis

_**Whoa, an update. Call the Vatican, I think I'm going to pass out. No actually I'm just exhausted because I've gotten practically no sleep this entire week.**_

_**Special thanks to Kytrin for putting up with my frustrated screams while I dealt with this hateful piece of writing.**_

_**Hate. Hate. Hate.**_

_**I hope there's someone out there that can find some shred of enjoyment out of this. It's like this chapter and I declared open war on one another.**_

--::--

"The sales in the north division for the previous month were a bit on the low side," Shadi flipped through a chart as he sat in a meeting. Hard eyes flicked up to the head of the north division. The chubby man was fidgeting in his chair underneath Shadi's green gaze. The angel figured the human knew he was guilty of managing his team poorly. The angel leaned over the table towards him, "You better shape up or we'll be making some cuts and changes in management.

A sudden heat on Shadi's chest nearly startled the angel out of his seat and he schooled his face into a mask of indifference even as the slow burn turned into a scorching pain. "I believe that concludes the meeting."

Shadi calmly reorganized the papers he had been looking at and put them away into his briefcase. He rose and pushed his chair in, dutifully ignoring the persistent burning. Even as he strolled into Isis' office, he kept a neutral expression.

However, once her door closed, Shadi let it all out.

"_Shit_!" He swore uncharacteristically and tore open the buttons to his shirt. Shadi fumbled with a thick chain around his neck until he managed to take it off. On the bottom of the necklace hung a small oval mirror, no doubt the source of Shadi's discomfort by the way he glared at it.

Isis looked up from her desk, an elegant eyebrow raised with amusement from her mate's actions. Obviously she was unconcerned with this routine. It was apparently a regular occurrence.

Shadi glared into the depths of the mirror, "What is it you need that demands my attention so badly?" He asked it harshly.

Most would be disturbed to see Shadi yelling questions into the surface of the mirror and expecting answers no less. However, as Shadi was not an average human, that meant his trinkets were far from average as well.

The voice of Mahaado drifted up from the surface, dry and sarcastic to answer his brother's question. "Nice to see you too brother. May I remind you that thus far you are oh-for-two concerning pleasant greetings."

"Get to the point Mahaado, I had to call off a meeting halfway through to treat a third-degree burn," Shadi growled impatiently, running a tan hand over his eyes. He was a little sore about the burn, but it was how the mirrors worked so he couldn't his frustration out on his brother. At least not completely.

The mirrors were a way for Mahaado and Shadi to communicate with one another throughout dimensions. It's how they stayed aware of each other's well being without having to be in the same plane, being as Mahaado never lingered in one place for long this came in handy.

"Rub some dirt on it, you'll be fine," Mahaado replied, somewhat crossly, "I finished the project you asked."

"Already?" Shadi demanded, unable to believe his brother had finished combing through Hell so quickly. He heaved a mental groan as he realized just silly it had been to send a Tracker Angel on a journey to track deceased spirits. Wonderful. Now Shadi would have to find another wild goose chase to send his brother on to keep him out of the loop a bit longer.

Regardless, he was interested in what information Mahaado had gleaned. Shadi already had his suspicions, but he didn't want to acknowledge them.

Because if they were true, then Yami...

"Well get on with it," Shadi looked into the surface of the mirror, Mahaado's dark purple eye reflecting back towards him, "What'd you find out?"

Mahaado paused for a moment before a telling sigh left his mouth. Shadi felt his heart plummet to his feet as his suspicions were confirmed. He didn't even need Mahaado to explain.

"The ones we killed were the Demon Hunters from eighteen years ago," Mahaado muttered, "We eradicated their entire race. Every man, woman and child was not spared." He closed his eyes, "I still don't see why you want to rehash this..."

"Please Mahaado," Shadi asked softly. The Guardian was faintly aware of Isis coming up behind him to set her gentle hands on his shoulders. He found strength in the comforting embrace of his mate.

Mahaado sighed, "There were no Demon Hunters in Hell. Not a damn one."

"What about Heaven?" Shadi asked, desperate for any rope to grasp.

Mahaado let out a bitter bark of a laugh, "_Heaven_? You can't be serious Shadi. You know as well as I do that a Demon Hunter could never make it into the golden gates of Heaven."

"It was worth asking," Shadi said firmly.

Mahaado shook his head before making a sound of frustration, "_They have no souls Shadi!_ You know this truth as well as I do. It was part of the reason why Demon Hunters hated demons so damn much."

"I know," Shadi murmured, "The demon blood which courses through their human body eliminates the need for a soul. A mortal body with ethereal blood cannot ascend to paradise."

Having no soul meant one could not exist beyond a mortal life. Demon Hunters could not turn into an angel or demon. Once they died, they stopped existing all together, as if they never were there to begin with. Death was death. There wasn't even so much as a shade left of their aura once they departed.

Demons on the other hand had souls. Even pure bred demons with black and twisted hearts had souls. Ripped and shredded, but souls nonetheless.

"The Demon Hunters thought it was an injustice," Mahaado said softly, "How could foul creatures like demons have the right to a soul, while they, trapped in a human body and judged by their peers had no chance for paradise in exchange for their good deeds." He shot Isis an apologetic look. The vampire shrugged it off.

"On top of _that_, the bloodlust from their demonic blood stood a very real chance of driving them insane. A mortal was never meant to have demonic blood," Isis murmured from beside Shadi, finally choosing to jump into the conversation, "Which made them hate demons all the more. Our blood is what cursed them with a dead life, filled only with insanity."

"It was awful," Isis continued softly, her blue eyes closing with grief, "Demon Hunters could withstand all kinds of physical and mental torture without shattering them. All because they were missing a soul."

"The darker a person's soul becomes, the closer they are to breaking and becoming a demon," Mahaado muttered, "Demon Hunters couldn't break because they didn't have a soul, it made them resilient bastards."

Isis buried her face into Shadi's shoulder and her fingers curled against his jacket. The Guardian knew her thoughts were on their adoptive son. Yami, who had been able to withstand almost eighteen years of torture at the hands of foster families that had abused him. He had never once broke.

Shadi gently stroked his fingers through Isis' thick hair, he pressed a kiss against her temple and sighed deeply, "They weren't particularly fond of Angels either if I recall, but they'd never raise a hand against us. They thought they were doing God's work by hunting down demons."

"Besides, the magic they used was of a holy variety given to the humans' centuries ago by angels," Mahaado pondered, thinking back to the time of Atemu, "It wouldn't have worked well against us anyway."

"You have a point there brother," Shadi said with dry humor, "Thank you for looking."

They really _had_ eradicated the Hunters from existence altogether...

"No problem Shadi," Mahaado looked at his brother through the mirror, "Anything else you need me for?"

Shadi thought quickly and he looked over at Mahaado with a sharp nod, "Yes actually, but you won't like it."

Mahaado groaned, "Why am I not surprised?"

"I need you to go to Heaven and look in the archives for two names," Shadi said, ignoring the hard glare his brother was giving him. He was making this up on the spot, after all he needed Mahaado preoccupied enough not to come poking around. Isis smothered a snigger unhelpfully by Shadi's side, "I know you don't go _up there_ anymore, but I really need this favor."

"Fine," Mahaado growled reluctantly, "But this is the _last_ goose chase you send me on for the next hundred years."

"Of course," Shadi agreed readily enough.

"What are the names?" A glare.

Shadi looked over at desperately Isis for help and she shook her head quickly, signaling she didn't have the slightest clue.

"Deborah and Jonathan, they died in 1930," Shadi said quickly, "They were married to one another."

"Alright," Mahaado said with a shrug of his shoulders. There was a distinctly sour look on his face as he was clearly not looking forward to searching in the archives. Or going up to Heaven.

Shadi figured that would keep Mahaado occupied for at least twenty years.

His brother was going to kill him.

Again.

--::--

"Today and Tomorrow we will take a break from the usual class demonstration and move onto Demon, Divine, and Mortal classification." He turned to address the rest of the class, "Please turn into your books to page 32.

"'Throughout the years, many demons and angels evolved into several classes and sub-categories. Depending on where one was born, and by whom, their traits were carried throughout history. In this chapter you will learn many of the demonic categories of Dwarves, and since our knowledge is still incomplete, be aware that knowledge is constantly shifting.

"Which means this guy doesn't have a damn clue what he's talkin' about," Joey hissed to his two clansmen. Yami couldn't help a slight smirk at the werewolf's comment, while Yugi was forced to smother his laughter behind his book.

Dr. Vulmer shot him an evil look in hopes to quiet their group before continuing.

"The main classification is a 'Dwarf.' They are a proud race which dwells deep underground in tunnels and often in mountainous regions." Dr. Vulmer pointed to his black board, where a dwarf was drawn on it, "They are closely related to Gnomes, but do not take kindly to being mistaken as one.

"Although they are often found in tunnels and dirt, they can also be sighted under bridges. They will often require a toll to cross, and unlike trolls who request the same thing, they do not eat their victims. Dwarves are very friendly and are fiercely loyal."

Yugi grinned and patted Joey on the head, "Are you sure you're a werewolf?"

"Shut up..."

"Now baby bloomers are the rarest type of Dwarves, were formed originally by a mutation found in the children of Dwarves born on the day of the full moon," He flourished a clear hand and the lights lowered. The over head projector descended and the first slide clicked into place.

"Now dwarves breed once every oh, say, twenty years," Dr. Vulmer gave a so-so gesture and continued, "The pregnancy process lasts for fifty years, so as you can probably imagine, it would be incredibly difficult to produce a bloomer baby.

"Now unlike most dwarves, bloomers grow to reach the average height of a human, however during the extent of their lives they are trapped in a small baby form for roughly fifty years where they develop their mind. Once reaching a mature age they're locked in the body of a twenty five year old and are deemed to truly be immortal.

Dr. Vulmer stopped and turned to the class, "Unlike real dwarves though –who are descendents distantly related to humans, Bloomers push away their mortal heritage, yet absorb only the evil traits of mankind." He shot an apologetic look at Yami, "They are mean spirited and evil. In a bloomers childhood, they dislike animals, often torturing them to death. That is one of the very few ways one can tell the difference between a human child and a Bloomer Baby.

"Nothing like most dwarves, Bloomers cannot be won over with jewels and trinkets. And on the off chance you should ever meet them, bow to them slowly, never removing eye contact, and I suggest you promptly run away."

The ghostly teacher looked at the class for a long moment, pausing in his lecture to allow the students to jot down a few notes in their binders. He nodded to himself once he saw the final pen drop to the desk, "The category of dwarves stretches past the Baby Bloomers onto the Rogue Dwarves, the Dark Dwarves, and the Pebble Dwarves. We'll be talking about the last one in this class, since it directly ties in with our next subject we'll be visiting in our unit of our beginning history of the Great War."

Deciding he had enough fill of demonic lore to last a life time, Yami decided to spare himself the nausea of learning about bloodthirsty dwarves and immersed himself in his book. It would already be difficult enough to have lunch. Yami flipped lazily through his book until he landed on an oddly creased page. It looked as if someone had tried to hide the page from sight. The orphan wouldn't have noticed it if not for his boredom.

He unfolded the page, looking curiously at the section he was in.

_Humans. _

His breath caught in his throat, and Yami shook his head to dislodge his stirred thoughts. The chapter was no more than two pages long, and it hardly went into depth. Yet it was strange to see his species classified. Yami frowned when his hand caught a small corner of a page which had been bent into the spine. Someone had folded a page so closely to the book, it seemed as though a person tried to hide the paper from view.

A flare of intuition coursed through Yami and he snagged Yugi's book, ignoring how the incubus hissed in protest of the theft. He flipped over to the corresponding page and found that Yugi was missing the page.

Interested, Yami shoved the book back at Yugi and stole Joey's book. He found that the page had been similarly torn out.

He returned the book to the befuddled demon and turned back to his.

Strange. Had someone wanted to hide this page from sight?

With curiosity getting the better of him, Yami flattened the page flush against the book. The image of Atemu stared up at him, red eyes blazing against the yellowed page. The orphan gasped at the unexpected picture and felt his thoughts whirl around in confusion. Under the title of Humans, a subcategory that had never been mentioned to him was emblazoned in blood red letters.

_Demon hunters_

What...?

Quietly, Yami looked at his two clansmen who were both absorbed in their note taking – or in Joey's case, doodling in the margins of his paper. The human quietly ripped out the pages and stuffed them in his backpack, unnoticed by the class. Yugi however, seemed to spot that particular brand of heart wrenching vandalism out of the corner of his eye.

He turned to give Yami an irritable look, but the human merely batted his eyes to look as innocent as possible. Yugi jerked his head back towards Dr. Vulmer, as if telling Yami to pay attention to the lecture.

Reluctantly, Yami complied. His thoughts were still spinning from the find he had just made and he was in no hurry to pay attention to the ghosts' lesson. Unfortunately for Yami, Yugi was keeping a razor sharp eye on him, so the human had no choice but to slouch in his chair and listen to the teacher.

Albeit grumpily, but he'd listen to him nonetheless.

"Since the time of Fantasia, the Chimera had always been a part of the elite who served only the best and most powerful of demons. As we learned yesterday, Akefia, one of the rare white-haired Chimera was in charge of planning the offensive strategies for the Great War. He was also one of Fantasia's most trusted advisors." Dr. Vulmer announced to the class, recapping the previous lesson, "As was the werewolf Katsuya, who was capable of manipulating his powers through the earth."

Yami looked over at Joey and dropped his voice in a whisper, "What's so great about having white-hair? Bakura's a Chimera."

Joey rolled his eyes at the question and looked over at Yami with a wolfish grin, "That's because Bakura's the _only_ Chimera with white hair. He's actually a direct descendent of Akefia, and he's the _first_ to have the white hair since. The color of Chimera's fur and hair represent the hottest type of fire they can control."

"So how hot is white fire?" Yami asked curiously. He knew how hot regular fire was, but didn't know what was so impressive about the white flames Bakura could supposedly control.

Yugi broke in with a low whisper, "Imagine being fired into the sun, and then imagine being fired into it again. That _might_ be equivalent to the fires Bakura can summon."

Realization dawned over Yami's face and he quickly fell silent. Bakura could summon fire that was as hot as the _sun itself_?

Yami had to admit that was mildly impressive.

Dr. Vulmer's voice called their attention back to the front and the ghost continued with his lecture, "Now thanks to the treaty of peace King Atemu and Queen Fantasia drew up, both Akefia and Katsuya were worried about the humans breaking the treaty and staging an attack. Thus they both suggested to the Queen that the human King stay with them during the duration of the first year of peace. It would force the human's compliance during the temporary peace.

"Atemu had agreed to these conditions despite being advised against it. He stayed here, at Teratos Castle under the supervision of Katsuya," Dr. Vulmer finished his recap and turned to the class. "There was a brief attack on the castle by a few humans, but the crisis was averted by Atemu and Katsuya working together to banish them. At the time humans were capable of casting magic, and the type of magic Atemu and his line possessed was very dark and unstable."

The class could only blink at the ghost in surprise and Yami found his hand rising out of morbid curiosity than anything else, "Sir, what do you mean 'dark magic'?" He questioned. Yami had been under the impression that humans had been soft and squishy creatures from the get go.

Dr. Vulmer frowned at the question and considered it, "A long time ago, demons only used humans as food and a source of pleasure. They were weak, frail creatures and at the time couldn't multiply like rabbits." He shrugged, "The humans were in danger of being completely eradicated, so the angels were forced to give the gift of holy magic to the humans, just so they could defend themselves.

"This lasted well until Atemu's time." He nodded, "But now, as humans are no longer in danger of being destroyed by demons, they don't believe in us and therefore no longer need the help of magic for protection."

Yami frowned, "Right... but that doesn't answer my question." He growled impatiently, "If the angels gave this 'holy' magic to humans, why was Atemu's power so dark?"

Dr. Vulmer gave Yami a sour look, "If the young and restless would stop interrupting, I was _getting_ to that part."

"Now, the angels wouldn't give up magic for free, but the humans had nothing to give," the doctor nodded to himself, "So they cut the humans a deal. They would give the humans the magic of balance. The elements that counteract one another fire and ice, wind and earth, love and hate; and so on.

"However the most important of these magics was the double-sided coin, darkness and light," Vulmer turned to look at the silent class with amusement. Obviously he had never seen his class so enraptured by his teachings before, "The angels made the strongest human male of their tribe carry the magic of darkness. He would have to pass the magic throughout his family tree forever while the magic of light would be kept safely locked away in a book that he alone would guard.

"No one aside from him and his children could control this darkness, it was written in the purity and strength of their bloodline," Dr. Vulmer nodded to himself, "Which is why that line was elected to be the rulers of the humans, Atemu was one of his descendents and thus wielded the great darkness."

"Eventually the family tree died out and the book containing the magic of light was lost," Dr. Vulmer shrugged, "However, both these elements still exist to this day, because without the darkness or the light, we would forever be doomed to a world of chaos."

Yami blinked numbly as those opaque eyes pinned him down critically. That had been more than what he asked about. Much more. He broke the ghost's gaze and turned his head back down towards the open book in front of him.

Taking that as a signal to start class again, Dr. Vulmer clapped his hands together, effectively dispelling the tense atmosphere which had gathered, "Now we'll be taking a moment to learn about Incubi and Succubi!"

Yugi let out a low groan before his forehead came into contact with his desk. Yami let out a low chuckle, a shit eating grin plastered across his face.

"Are you sure you still want me to pay attention?"

"Shut up."

--::--

"If this class wasn't required to graduate, I'd be skipping every single lecture" Yugi muttered after the carnage was finished. Yami let out a bark of laughter.

"I'd say 'I'll kill Dr. Vulmer,' if he weren't... you know, already dead..." Yugi continued with a somewhat sheepish look. He scratched the back of his head.

"What about me?" Yami smirked over at the two demons, "Is this class required for me too? Could I skip it?"

"You better believe your tan ass it is," Joey smirked back at him wickedly, "Because you couldn't skip in Teratos to save your life! I doubt you could make it to the bathroom without someone knowing you're MIA!"

Yami narrowed his eyes at the jibe and he glared over at the werewolf, "Is that a challenge mutt?"

Yugi snorted as they walked into the cafeteria, "Alright Joey, take it easy now. We don't want to ruffle Yami's feathers so soon in the day."

The cafeteria like everything in Teratos was black. Yet unlike the rest of the school which emanated an aura filled with centauries of old monarchy, the cafeteria sparkled as though it were a freshly polished jewel on the crown of the 21th century. Fitted to meet the needs of hundreds of starving demons, the school staff decided to keep up with the human's standards of feeding.

Cheap, affordable, and not necessarily clean.

The tables were long with a fake wooden texture painted on the surface; they looked as though they had been dropped directly from a regular high school —basic and reeking of decaying food. Yami wondered if the custodians cleaned the tables with the mops they used after cleaning off vomit from the floor like they had in his old school.

"How nostalgic," Yami said grimly as he looked at the frightfully familiar surroundings.

The orphan preferred to skip off on lunch or just eat outside, but certain demons in his history class had a different idea. As soon as Yami stepped foot outside the classroom, he had been lifted by his arms by Joey the Werewolf, and lugged across the hallway at breakneck speed.

Yami had yet to be let down and at this point he had resigned himself to his fate of being carried. After all, he couldn't possibly fight against a bullheaded werewolf. Joey would pay for this. Oh he most certainly would, Yami plotted through his humiliation.

Yugi ran to the teenagers, a light prance to his graceful lope. He laughed at Yami's expression, who paused in his super secret evil planning long enough to glare at the Incubus.

"What's so bad with eating lunch in the cafeteria?" Yugi asked innocently. The human rolled his eyes.

"I don't know actually," The blood began rushing to Yami's head, "But this little voice in my head keeps telling me it's a bad idea to eat in a lunch room with a bunch of hungry, carnivorous demons… Although I can't possibly imagine why that would be."

"Since when did you start listening to your survival instincts?" Yugi asked with genuine surprise.

"Shut up." Yami grumbled reluctantly, "Can you let me down now? I won't run like the hounds of hell were after my blood – even though they probably are." He shot an upside down, apologetic glance at Joey, "No offense."

"It's cool." Joey grinned and finally obliged with Yami's request.

Yugi closed his hand over Yami's, ignoring how the human's startled gaze drifted towards him. "C'mon, I'll show you which line you need to go to." The incubus smiled brightly at the grumpy human.

Stumbling, Yami allowed Yugi to drag him away, leaving a smirking Joey in their wake.

--::--

Yami picked up a perfectly normal looking French fry. Yugi watched in amusement, "It isn't a barbiturate you know," he teased.

Yami rolled crimson eyes, "I would hope not, but you never know with this crazy school…"

Joey snorted into his cup, a wolfish grin on his face, "Yeah, we don't need to see Yami tripping on any more illegally obtained drugs. The morphine was bad enough…"

"Hey! That was _one_ time!" Yami protested and launched the fry he had been inspecting at the werewolf. Joey merely twisted his head and caught the projectile between two sharp fangs.

"Once is all it takes," he said smugly.

The human ducked his head in his hands and groaned, "Why do I even try?"

"Because you're a glutton for punishment and a ton of embarrassment," Yugi patted him sympathetically on his back. Yami ignored the gesture and looked around blankly. He spotted Seto and Bakura walking quickly to the table. They seemed to be racing with one another, seeing who could reach the table first without running flat out.

Seto slid into place beside Joey, winning his silent race with the Chimera. He shot a triumphant smirk at Bakura who glared back at him with full hostility.

Yami frowned. The human distinctly remembered seeing Mariku enter the cafeteria with Seto and Bakura, after all it had been hard not to notice Bakura and Mariku kicking open the doors and marching in with a disgruntled Seto following behind. Now the vampire was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Mariku?" he asked curiously. It was rare to see Bakura without the insane vampire waiting on the wings.

"Outside enjoying the breeze after making an unnecessarily dramatic entrance," Seto reached over to Yami's plate and snatched up his carton of fruit punch, "It's too easy to cheat on his diet when he's in here."

Then suddenly, without warning and ignoring Yami's shout of protest, Seto opened the container and dumped the entire contents on Joey's plate.

"Hey!" the werewolf and human exclaimed at the same time.

Seto rolled his eyes at his boyfriend, "You were finished with your food anyway," the reaper pointed towards the red liquid swirling on Joey's empty plate.

Congealed blood formed heavy lumps around the edges of Joey's Styrofoam plate. Yami felt his stomach churn to think he had almost drunk that mess. He cringed and gave Yugi an irritated glare.

"I thought you said this was fruit punch!" Yami growled.

"Hey, mistakes have been made in the past," Yugi protested as he poked the mess of blood with his fork. He crinkled his nose in disgust, "Ew... they let it go bad again."

"Well, maybe Mariku wouldn't cheat on some month old blood," Seto rolled his eyes, "But it's much too tempting to stay in the Cafeteria. If he were to get used to drinking human blood again..." He looked at the ceiling, "Well, there wouldn't be any humans left. I can guarantee that."

Yami shivered.

"But why does he go through the trouble?" He asked, relieved that Mariku had taken to a 'non-human' diet. Seto quirked an eyebrow, surprised that Yami would question the Vampires intentions. Bakura curled his hand into a fist and tucked it under his chin, doing a rather good impression of the Thinking Man.

"What do you mean 'trouble'?" Bakura demanded. He began picking at his food which consisted mostly of raw meat, "Do you even know how many times he could have killed you by now? Mariku used to have some serious issues with his bloodlust, it used to be all I could to get him to drink from blood banks."

Yami gestured at his hand where a crescent moon scar was painted white against his tan skin, "Really?" his eyes widened in mock shock, "I had absolutely _no idea_!" He put his opposite hand over it, cracking his knuckles. He knew Mariku could be very dangerous if given the chance.

And that had been an _accident_.

Yami scanned his hands with red eyes. Over the span of two weeks, both of his hands had been scarred by demons. The first one had been caused by a few humans trying to rape a boy, the second by Mariku. The latter of which was forgivable, but the former was not. The humans only served to prove Yami's point that there were worse things in this world than things that went bump in the night.

True monsters.

The motion of Yami's hands attracted Yugi's attention, whose violet eyes were now glued onto Yami's scars. The incubus tentatively reached out to run a pale finger across the thick scar on the human's knuckles. Yami almost jumped at the gentle sensation across the sensitive skin.

The human felt the blood rush to his face, a spark of electricity running between them in the brief moment their skin touched. The human quickly pulled his hand away, quite literally shocked from the contact. It had caused a slow burn within him that Yami was all too familiar with. After all he had those... dreams about Yugi earlier. Yami quickly clamped down on his thoughts before they could travel in that direction.

Yugi slid his hand away from Yami, an injured expression flashed through his eyes for a moment. The human's heart twisted in response and he lifted his ruby eyes to Yugi's gaze, "But why give it up...?" He asked, never removing his gaze from Yugi.

The incubus opened his mouth in a speechless answer and his sooty eyelashes fluttered slightly under the intensity of Yami's eyes.

"He fell in love with a human," Joey interrupted. His honey colored eyes were trained on Yugi, a look of recognition dawning on his face, "He fell in love and vowed never to drink the blood of a human ever again..."

Yugi blushed and tore his away from Yami's hypnotic gaze. Bakura was studying the expression on the human's face, a small smirk hidden behind his folded hands. The wheels in the Chimera's head were turning, all while a devious little plot began to crank in his head.

It seemed like their human had a little crush on their incubus and vice versa.

Interesting...

"Who's the human?" Yami asked quickly, turning away from Yugi in an attempt to hide his burning face. He looked around the cafeteria to see if there was another mortal student wandering around.

Bakura shrugged noncommittally, "We don't really know to tell the truth, but Yugi and I think it's your little mortal friend Malik."

Yami turned to stare blankly at Bakura, his jaw dropping open in disbelief. His thoughts ground to a halt as all logic flew out the window and everything turned upside down.

"_What?!"_

--::--

_**Reviews are loved and appreciated. They remind me why I attempted to strangle this chapter in the first place.**_

_**Phew... Let me know if you've got questions.**_

_**ZB**_


	14. Not Alone

_**This chapter is dedicated to Kai-Chan for being my 100**__**th**__** reviewer! D: Yes. I am a dork. **_

_**She wanted an early update of Teratos, but since I ran out of time I couldn't manage it. However, I did combine two chapters for this update. So, erm technically next week's chapter is early... TA-DA~! **_

_**((hides behind a couch))**_

_**Read and Review!**_

_**By the way there will never be another chapter this long again. Ever o.o**_

--::--

"Do you know where Oceanography is?"

After getting the initial shock of finding out that Mariku had been in love with one of his best friends, Yami felt he had taken the news in stride. Aside from accidentally flipping over the fry tray all over Bakura's lap of course. Considering that Mariku had first seen and fallen in love with Malik when the orphan was twelve, Yami figured he acted reasonably. Apparently age didn't really matter to demons that lived for eons of time.

Go figure, Yami supposed it made sense in a twisted, weird sort of way. He hadn't even realized demons outside of Atemu and Fantasia were physically capable of falling in love with humans. That was a shocker by itself.

Yugi started at Yami's question and nodded, "You have Ms. Sharp next too?" The incubus obviously didn't think the class was anything Yami could be interested in.

Yami immediately squelched the bubble of hope swelling in his chest. The human didn't know why his traitorous heart jumped at the idea of having another class with the incubus. Perhaps they would have a class in private this time, without the prying eyes of the clan. He composed his face carefully, praying Yugi didn't see his change of demeanor, "Yeah, well then I'm hitching a ride with you to class." He smirked.

Seto took Joey's hand, giving Yami and Yugi a jerk of his head in farewell. He ignored Bakura completely. The chimera snarled irritably at being obviously ignored and dumped his half eaten steak in the trash. He glared back at the messenger of death, attempting to burn holes in the reaper's back. Yami fancied he spotted Seto's shirt smoking before he walked out of sight.

"Sure," Yugi nodded in surprise, blushing slightly at the human's wicked smirk. He gathered his wits quickly and stood up, tossing out his tray, "I have to admit though; I didn't expect you to be interested in this sort of class."

"You'd be surprised just _what_ I'm interested in. . ." Yami purred suggestively. Yugi's eyes widened in undisguised shock, unable to believe the human had said something as bold as that without so much as batting an eye.

In truth, Yami was a bit surprised by his audacity as well. He had never been one to advocate talking suggestively, especially not in public. Even in the few relationships Yami had been involved in before, he rarely said anything that could be misconstrued in a sexual way. It was rare for anyone to stir Yami's interest and they seldom held his attention for long. However, when Yami realized he wanted something. He took it.

He had never been in a serious relationship. He had never wanted one.

He had never cared for it.

Ruby eyes gazed intently at Yugi's soft, blushing face. Since he had gotten to this school, the incubus had been wriggling his way into Yami's mind. His presence seemed to soothe Yami and they could stimulate one another intellectually and physically – if Yami's dream was anything to base the assumption off of.

He blushed at the memory.

If Yami was honest with himself, he would admit he had a crush on the incubus. He looked analytically at the demon, his sharp crimson gaze drilling into Yugi's amethyst eyes. Yami's gaze softened as he looked at those expressive and breathtaking eyes. Beautiful. He noted every detail about Yugi. Yami felt drawn to the demon like a moth to a flame.

Granted, Yami felt as if he was a moth that had already caught on fire. He was a burning moth that was close to spontaneously combusting.

A rosy blush stained Yugi's pale cheeks and the incubi's eyes went wide. Emboldened by this reaction, Yami slipped his hand next to Yugi's, intertwining their fingers. The human wasn't sure if he wanted to pursue this path just yet. There were far too many dangers and implications to be involved with a demon romantically. Yami was a risk-taker, but he wasn't completely sure about this, and the idea frightened him.

He had a feeling things wouldn't be so simple with Yugi. If he took a step in that direction with Yugi, he had a feeling he'd have to give up all of himself to the incubus.

And Yami wasn't sure he could do that...

He didn't know if he could be in anything _serious_.

For now he would play it safe with a bit of harmless flirting. After all, Yami rather enjoyed seeing Yugi's face light up like the fourth of July.

"Well show me the way," He said to the befuddled demon, comfortably. Yami basked in the way their hands melded together, as if they were made to fit against one another.

_What inspired all this insanity? _A voice in the back of his head whispered.

_Are you crazy?!_ It demanded. _You aren't like this! _

_You don't like touching, or feeling, or even playing around! WHAT _ARE_ YOU DOING!?_

A smirked worked its way across Yami's face, breaking the carefully constructed stone façade he had cultivated throughout the long years of his life, _'I've momentarily taken leave of my mind'_ he responded to the voice before blocking it out completely, _'and I love every moment of it. . .'_

Yugi didn't yelp or pull away from him, so Yami took it as a sign to continue holding Yugi's hand. Yami couldn't help it, it just felt so _right_. He even imagined that Yugi smiled at the contact and edged closer.

Together they walked out of the emptying cafeteria with linked hands, ignoring the jealous blue eyes watching their departure. Anzu crossed her arms angrily over her skin tight shirt. It was painted on her shapely figure, classy, elegant and sexy — a feat only a succubus could pull off. She glared murderously at Yami's back, chewing at her freshly manicured thumb, "That little _hoe_. . . " Anzu snarled. She gripped her phone and flipped it open, dialing Ushio's number.

"I want Yami dead!" Anzu shrieked into the receiver, "If he isn't dead before the semester is out, you're going to be celibate for a very long time Ushio!" She hung up with a click and stormed out of the cafeteria.

The cold gaze of a death reaper who had forgotten his laptop case followed her out.

"This could be problematic," Seto muttered.

**--::--**

Yugi didn't lead Yami to a classroom, but instead directed the human to a locker room. Yami looked around curiously until Yugi shoved a pair of school issued swimming trunks against his chest. Yami stared at them in disgust and shook his head, "You can't expect me to put these on, can you?"

"You're going to need them," Yugi grinned and turned around to get changed.

Yugi turned his back towards Yami, and attempted to remove his shirt. The muscles in the sex-demon's back flexed around his wings as they strained to remove his top. Yami watched with utter fascination, his gaze riveted on the incubi's back. He had wondered how Yugi had managed to put his shirt on with the wings getting in the way. Now Yami was getting quite the show while he satisfied his curiosity.

Yugi's bat wings fluttered, catching the article on its bended tip, successfully halting Yugi's attempt to change.

"Sonova. . . that _always _happens!" He growled helplessly and reached back in an attempt to untangle the fabric. He winced as his wings strained to dislodge the offending shirt.

Yami walked over to the struggling demon and stoically untangled the shirt. A relieved Yugi smiled his thanks, a blush of embarrassment staining his pale cheeks. With his shirt removed, he turned to face Yami – who made a rather pathetic attempt to pretend he hadn't been staring at Yugi the entire time.

Yami looked away, burning holes into the dirty black wall. He muttered a half-coherent "You're welcome" and moved to change. He was feeling very _bothered_ and flushed. It really wouldn't do Yami any good for Yugi to notice the state of being he was in. He had a feeling the incubus might already know, no matter what Yami did to hide it.

Yami yanked hisshirt off in an attempt to distract himself from thinking about Yugi – _which he wasn't doing_.

He quickly shed himself of the remainder of his clothes and donned the school issued swim trunks. Like _everything_ in Teratos, they were black. Yami wondered if it was one of the school colors.

He tied the drawstring securely. Yami trusted the students at Teratos just as much as he trusted the students at his old school – which was not at all. He didn't want to get his only article of clothing pulled off. Yami tugged experimentally at his trunks before assessing that they were in no danger of being yanked down. He carefully folded his clothes over his forearm and shoved his clothes and bags into a silver locker the farthest from the door. Since there were no locks, he wasn't in the mood to have any of his stuff jacked.

He turned back around to see Yugi jerk his head away sharply, a dark blush on the incubi's face. The human was confused by Yugi's actions until realization hit him like ton of bricks. Yugi had been checking _him_ out too? Yami smirked inwardly, deciding to tease Yugi about his spying later. The human picked stared at Yugi with a critical eye, the crimson tide in his eyes burned with amusement but he left the incubi to himself.

Yet despite Yami's advances, he was oblivious to the looks he was receiving from Yugi – since he was too busy "not" staring at the incubus.

If Yugi hadn't known better, he would have thought Yami was a god. Before this point, he had vaguely wondered what the human would look like when he wasn't wearing any clothes – there was really no use trying to deny he had a small crush on Yami. Especially now that he had seen the human without most of his clothes on - he had no idea how gorgeous Yami could look underneath his scruffy, baggy clothes.

Yami was around 5'7" nowhere near as tall as Seto or Joey, but taller than Yugi and perhaps the same size as Bakura. He was strong, with a straight back which was rarely found in a computerized age.

Yugi blushed lightly, amethyst eyes closed in concentration. He could see Yami in his minds' eye clearly. The human had black and red spiky locks of hair, blond bangs which framed Yami's tan face, and slanted ruby eyes. Yugi could imagine those eyes, framed in sooty black lashes. They seemed to bore into Yugi's very soul, searing his blackened blood and crushing his heart.

Yugi could still feel Yami's nimble fingers gliding across the skin of his hand and back. A small voice in the back of his head wondered what it would feel like if those nimble fingers slid across something else other than his hand. . ?

Blue October's _Calling You_ rang from Yugi's discarded pants, causing the Incubus to jump from his daydream. His face flushed with shame, knowing his thoughts could lead to something _very _dangerous. . . His throat ached with yearning.

Yugi would have to _"feed"_ soon.

Oh god. Again.

Bakura was going to have a field day teasing him.

Distracted, and in a worse mood than before, Yugi bent down and scooped up his phone. A text message from Seto blared on the small screen. Thinking this was odd –since Seto never texted anyone during the school day – he opened the message curiously and with no real expectations..

Yugi's face flared with anger and his hand snapped the phone in half with terrifying ease. A small possessive growl ripped from his throat, and for a moment Yugi lost sense of himself in a tide of his demonic instincts.

The message was simplicity in itself, straight to the point and clear. Just five words.

_There's a hit on Yami. _

**--::--  
**

Yami looked around in panic as a shark circled overhead. It came close enough to the human that if Yami were to reach out, his fingertips would brush up against its rough, rubbery hind. His lungs burned and a small, strangled sound was invoked from the back of his throat. Air bubbles escaped his nose and mouth, billowing out around his head.

_What the hell._

_What the hell?_

_WHAT THE HELL!_

This was not what Yami signed up for when he decided to take Oceanography.

He hadn't realized that the class would be _underwater_ and as a result Yami was having a slight problem with the breathing issue. He couldn't fucking breath underwater for a start!

Yugi swam up to the human who was beginning to look a bit blue in the face and rolled his eyes in exasperation. He gave Yami a sharp pinch to the side that immediately had the human yelping with pain, consequentially drawing in a lungful of water.

Yami's hands flew to his throat in terror as he realized that he had just signed his own death warrant and shot Yugi a homicidal glare. The incubus merely continued to stare at him flatly with his hands on his hips.

Wait a second...

Slowly, the anger from Yugi's betrayal slowly gave way to confusion.

Why wasn't he drowning?

Hesitantly, Yami took in another 'breath' and cringed, half expecting a rush of water to flood through his lungs and suffocate him. Much to his shock, that didn't happen. The water moved around his head and flowed through his mouth, but he didn't swallow any water. When he exhaled, a burst of bubbles came from his mouth and nose.

Well this was weird.

Weirder than usual, Yami quickly amended.

"Breathing underwater..." Yami muttered, surprised to hear his own voice echoing around in his ears thanks to the shifting currents. Odd, he doubted he'd ever get used to hearing his voice in surround sound, "This is another one of those magic things that make me look completely stupid while you secretly laugh me, right?"

"Yes," Yugi smiled sweetly at Yami, "I considered letting you go as long as you could hold your breath, but I thought that might be unnecessarily cruel."

"After all, you just want to laugh at my misfortune and destroy the little of my pride that I have left, not endanger my life," Yami growled under his breath.

"Of course," Yugi replied cheekily.

The teacher took that moment to swim into the class, thus putting a premature end on their conversation. A long fishtail billowed out and around her body as she swam into the classroom. Even Yami, who was clearly unfamiliar with fantastical creatures knew what she was. After all, he had seen enough Disney movies with Leo to figure it out for himself.

She was a mermaid.

At this point, Yami really couldn't bring himself to be surprised.

The mermaid had extraordinarily bright eyes and Yami had a difficult time pinpointing precisely what color they were. He had the instinctive feeling that they were violet... Beautiful amethyst eyes. Like Yugi's, but not quite as lovely as the incubi's.

Yami shook his head, a swirl of bubbles rounding off around his head. It earned him a strange look from the very subject of his stray thoughts.

"Hello class," The teacher sang out. She flashed a smile at her class, exposing rows of jagged and pointed teeth, "My name is Ms. Sharp."

Yami shrank away from the deceptively beautiful woman and her scary as hell smile, somewhat grateful he had decided to stick his hand in a vampire's mouth instead of hers.

"_...No kidding,_" He muttered under his breath.

"Now today class, we will be learning about the different species of oceanic life. . . We'll start with my personal favorite, the Great White shark. "

A shadow fell on the students and Yami looked upwards. He immediately wished he hadn't. Swimming in a large arc just a few feet from Yami's head was the white underbelly of a shark. He had seen it before, but he had held onto the vain hope that it was a fake creature. Or just a hallucination from Yami's oxygen deprived brain.

No such luck.

"Come here Brucey!" Ms. Sharp cooed. Surprisingly the shark obeyed, nuzzling the mermaid's outstretched hand with its rough snout, "I named him after that funny Australian sounding shark from _Finding Nemo_. " She explained giggling as Bruce rubbed her throat with his nose.

Yami was subconsciously holding his breath again, and it took a sharp prod in his ribs from Yugi to get the human to inhale.

"Ms. Sharp has thousands of 'pets,'" Yugi laughed at Yami's reaction, "She has raised each and every one of them herself."

The incubus smiled apologetically before continuing, "You need to relax a little, the things that make sense on Middle-Earth no longer apply to what we do _here_ at Teratos."

"As if I couldn't tell," Yami muttered sarcastically. The corners of his lips twitched into a half smile, "But where is 'here' anyway, Teratos seems as though it's suspended in air."

As expected, Yugi gave a snort of laughter that had Yami glaring holes into the side of the incubi's pretty little face, "_Suspended in air?_" He chuckled. His voice dropped an octave as Ms. Sharp began lecturing about the anatomy of a shark, "We're in Hell. "

"_Are you kidding?_" Yami leaned close to Yugi, "We're in Hell? As in fire and brimstone Hell? I thought Bakura was just joking about that earlier! Why am I still alive?"

Yugi was surprised at Yami's close proximity. He blushed, attempting to avert his gaze from Yami's athletic body that had suddenly been shoved in his face. "There's no brimstone in this part of hell. The tortured souls of the damned are on an entirely different level. It's actually quite nice here, just on the border of the human world. "

Yugi spoke to the watery floor, "It makes it easy for angels and demons. . . " He shot a shy look at Yami, ". . . and humans to learn, together. "

Yami frowned at the Incubi's behavior, tentatively brushing his fingertips on Yugi's bare shoulder. Wide amethyst eyes met Yami's crimson gaze, and Yugi flushed a deep shade of pink.

At the moment Yami's skin met his, Yugi felt himself lose his sanity for a terrifying second and succumb to his demonic instincts. The human's touch did something to him. . . Something it hadn't done before. He could feel his eyelids twitch and flutter, a tiny smile exposing the sharp fangs he hid behind his pink lips. _He wanted Yami. . . _

Desire pulsed through blackened veins and a rush of paralyzing venom flooded through his mouth. Yugi attempted to distract himself by swallowing and tasting the poison. It was sweet – but not in a bad way; like dried flowers. His eyes roamed over Yami's muscular body, leading across his arm to rest on the tan fingers barely brushing against him.

Yugi let out a pained whimper as he attempted to control himself. It was barely audible to even his ears – yet Yami still somehow managed to catch it.

"Are you okay Little One?" The human asked with concern. He maintained eye contact with Yugi, searching into his expressive depths to find the reason behind the demon's abrupt change in character. Yugi was usually so confident. It was out of character for the incubus to be without a witty remark or snarky comment.

"Y-yes"

Far from satisfied, Yami reluctantly pulled his hand away from Yugi's naked skin, noting the tension visibly leave the incubi's shoulders once he did so. A small frown creased a line between Yami's eyebrows when he saw Yugi breathe out in relief. Was he the one responsible for making Yugi so stiff? A dull throb in the human's chest alerted Yami to a clear sign of heartache.

What had he done to earn Yugi's displeasure? Yami looked at the incubus with barely restrained concern.

"Let's go pet the shark Yami!" Yugi said nervously, his usual smile back on his face. He didn't wait for the human to join him, but instead paddled away quickly, using his wings to propel him forward in the water.

Yami continued to stare after Yugi, an unreadable expression on his face. "_Is he crazy?_"

His heart thudded.

_Or am I?_

Personal Fitness was a painful ordeal at schools around the world, but at Teratos it was a sacred practice which all students were required to take in order to graduate. Every. Damn. Year. There was one class offered fourth period, and both Yami and Yugi –dripping wet and shivering from their oceanography class – walked to the gym for their daily hour and a half of hell.

Yami ran a hand through his wet hair and glanced at Yugi. The Incubus wasn't acting strange anymore, but Yami noticed he stayed out of arms length. Thinking he needed to give Yugi some space, he made up an excuse to change in the bathroom – away from him.

They met each other again outside, and Yami was glad to see Yugi acting more like himself. However whenever someone would bump into Yami and knock him closer to Yugi, the incubus would visibly tense. On the few times their shoulders brushed against each other, Yugi would cringe away from the darker teenager. Yami found it difficult to crush a pang of disappointment in his heart whenever Yugi shied away.

Although Yami pretended he didn't notice these tense and awkward moments, a small knife of pain stabbed its way to his heart.

_What's wrong with Yugi? _ He thought with a frown, _Or what's wrong with __me__?_

"-Mi, " Yugi was talking to him. Jerking out of his thoughts, Yami flashed him an apologetic grin.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening. "

The incubus pouted adorably and turned his beautiful eyes on Yami. The human's hands twitched with the need to touch Yugi's soft cheeks and pull their faces together so he could claim those sweet lips. He resisted the urge – afraid that Yugi would withdraw from him again. Not only did Yugi's actions disturb him, he feared his new thoughts would scare the incubus off.

They were _far_ from appropriate.

"I asked you if you'd like to come to Starbucks with me after school today," A small blush wormed its way across Yugi's face, "I can drop you off at your house afterwards," He added quickly when he sensed apprehension in Yami's demeanor.

The human was hesitant, did he really want to risk spending time with Yugi after he realized he was beginning to feel something for the demon – especially since he believed it to be part of the reason Yugi was distancing himself from him. The subtle change in emotions. . . When did it happen?

"I don't know," He adjusted the wet strap on his book bag so it wasn't digging into his shoulder as much, "Starbucks coffee isn't really what I go for. . . I'm trying to cut back on my caffeine intake. " He lied.

Yugi saw through the bluff and reached up to tug on a long strand of silky blond hair hanging from Yami's bangs. The human watched as Yugi's eyes closed and an odd emotion clouded through the expressive amethyst eyes – darkening them to a fathomless shade of violet. The incubus leaned up to Yami purposefully, standing on his tip-toes since he wasn't quite tall enough.

"Please?" He whispered. Yami felt a jolt of heat shoot straight to his groin at that single, pleading word. Christ, now he knew why Yugi was such a good incubus...

The human stiffened further, ruby eyes going wide as he felt Yugi's lips skim over his exposed neck. They took advantage of the human's momentary lapse in judgment and parted, letting Yami feel the tantalizing scrape of fangs against the tender skin of his throat. Yami's breath hitched in his chest, his whole body inflamed with the desire to tackle Yugi in the hallway and take him right there for the entire student body to see.

He nodded dumbly, unable to deny Yugi of what he wanted, "Yeah. Starbucks. . . Okay. "

Yugi smiled and drew away, balancing on the balls of his feet. One of his tiny fangs poked from behind his full lips. Yami felt a hollow ache in his stomach as he wondered how those fangs would feel biting into his flesh. . . roaming his body. . . and Yami could claim Yugi as his. . .

_Where are these thoughts coming from!?_ Yami jerked himself away from the Incubus, turning quickly on his heel and walking quickly into his personal fitness class.

He was secretly glad Yugi had a different teacher, even though it was inevitable that Yami would run into Yugi eventually throughout the period. And even if they didn't see each other during the class, they would meet after school at Starbucks. Yami hoped it was the latter since he didn't know how to deal with their rapidly changing relationship. Were they friends?

_Or something more?_

Yami couldn't help but hope for the latter option again.

--::--

It was awkward in Yugi's car. For one thing, Yami was so used to sitting in the back – he automatically climbed into his usual seat before realizing Yugi was staring at him oddly. Laughing like a fool, he got up and took his place in the passenger seat.

Yugi smiled painfully at him, "Sorry about earlier today. . . " He looked embarrassed, "I haven't. . . well, been feeling myself lately. "

Yami gazed at him critically. A strange disappointment flooded through his veins, dampening his excitement somewhat.

He only did what he did earlier today because he was a hungry Incubus, right? There was nothing more to it. _Nothing_ at all. Who was Yami to assume Yugi felt something for him?

_Other than lust. . . _The thought depressed him and he looked sullenly out the window. Colorful lights streaked out from the tinted windows. The dark glass dragged the human's attention away from his sullen thoughts, and he gladly welcomed the distraction. He needed to be thinking about something else anyway.

Something else other than the good-looking incubus sitting right next to him.

Damn it!

Yami focused on the glass, ruby eyes inspecting it. Now that he was actually concentrating on the windows, he found that they were all tinted. Even the windshield. Yami felt he needed to comment on the strangeness of the car.

"Isn't that illegal?" He pointed at the glass. Yugi was surprised at the change of subject, especially since Yami hadn't commented on his earlier statement. In truth the incubus was relieved by the change in subject and the lack of commentary.

"Oh, yeah. It is. " He said with a sheepish grin, "I sometimes drive Mariku to Middle-Earth and the tinted windows protect him from the sun," Yugi explained. Yami just stared at the glass, touching the grey window with a tan finger, "Vampires don't explode in the sun, but they can get pretty irritating burns."

"You're a good friend," Yami muttered meaningfully. His heart swelled with emotion and he wondered if he even possessed a chance with the breathtaking incubus.

"Let have some music," he reached towards Yugi's small collection and flipped through a few CDs he was familiar with.

"Alright, Darren Criss or Brittany Spears?" Yami grinned wickedly at the incubus. Yugi laughed and nodded towards the first. Yami popped it in and started it up.

The two students sat in comfortable silence. The ice was finally broken and they were both grateful for the break in the tension that seemed to have surrounded them since earlier that day. When the track played a song they both knew, the demon and human broke off into song. Eventually they decided to sing a duet of 'Not Alone' with Yugi playing the role of the female – much to his everlasting displeasure – and Yami taking the male lead.

By the end of the song, Yami had been utterly blown away by Yugi's singing voice. The demon could sure as hell pelt out the high notes, and Yami told him as much. So when Yugi finally pulled up at Starbucks they were both eager for a caffeine boost and for something to wet their throats.

"I can't wait until I'm twenty-one," Yami said wistfully, "Then I'll be able to get the pure caffeine over the counter and not have to spend five dollars for a grande-moca-double-shot-expresso thing from a place ran by the Mafia. "

Yugi looked at Yami questioningly, "What are you talking about?" He looked at Yami fishing around for money in his wallet and halted his search for cash by putting a restraining hand on the orphan's forearm. The incubi's mere touch sent shivers racing down Yami's spine, a tremor that he could feel through his fingertips. Yugi gasped softly as something similar coursed powerfully through his body. He dropped his hand from Yami.

"Sorry" He muttered, flashing a grin at his clansmen, "I'll get it for you. . . what do you want?"

The human felt a bubble of hope swell in his stomach as he saw how Yugi seemed to respond to the gentle brushes of their skin coming into contact.

_Maybe he feels something for me after all. . . _

"Small black coffee," He replied neutrally. Yugi let out a loud snort at Yami's order, trying and failing to smother laugh.

"What?" Yami asked, annoyed that he had missed some kind of joke. Yugi waved him off.

"Not only do you want a regular black coffee in place renowned for its original. . . 'Caffeinated beverages,' you don't know the sizes for the drink! And I do. . . " Yugi tucked a few strands of his silky hair behind his tapered ear and grinned, "That's a bit sad really. "

Yami scowled, "Shut up _master of all thy holy caffeinated knowledge_" He grinned, "I like my coffee black. I told you I don't go to Starbucks for a reason. "

"_Apparently_," Yugi rolled his eyes and left to take their orders. Yami took a seat at a small wire table that seated two. His crimson gaze focused on Yugi's rear as he left, admiring from afar. . . since it couldn't hurt. . . right?

_This is a bit like a date. . . _Yami mused to himself.

_No. You are not thinking about him in that way. It won't happen. It can't happen. It's impossible. _That didn't stop his eyes from wandering back to Yugi's lower body and admiring the view. Yami really couldn't help but look appreciatively Yugi's tight ass wrapped up in form fitting jeans. The way Yugi walked, his hips swaying. . . Yami swallowed thickly. Delicious.

The wire table which Yami had his hands pressed against was cool. Fall was beginning to set in as August began turning into September. The change was subtle. _Like Yugi and myself. . . _ he thought numbly.

The trees had yet to inherit the colors of fall; Yami looked forward to the day when the leaves turned to brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. _Where has the time gone?_

It had only been a couple of weeks since he was adopted, but the time where he first came to Teratos seemed a life-time ago. Yami traced an elegant finger against the metal ridges, subconsciously spelling out Yugi's name.

"What are you doing?"

Yami's head shot up, his digit frozen in the middle of a 'G'. He looked up at Yugi, eyes wide with guilt.

"Just. . . thinking" he lied quickly. Yugi looked at Yami skeptically before handing him his cup of coffee. Black, just how he liked it.

Yami nodded, "Thanks. "

They sat in silence, while each took an occasional sop from their steaming cups. Yami vaguely wondered what the actual reason Yugi had for dragging him to a secluded and quiet place like Starbucks. Yami pulled the top off his cup and ignored Yugi's curious look.

His coffee was bitter and hot, almost to the point of being bearably drinkable. Not bothering to wait for his drink to cool down, Yami gulp down a long draught before resealing the cup. Yugi watched him with amusement – and slight disgust.

"That couldn't have tasted even remotely good, " He crinkled his nose in disgust, "Why do you drink your coffee black? It's disgusting. "

Yami cast a critical eye at Yugi's own steaming cup of fluffy gooey, goodness, "And what is _that _diabetic coma disguised as a drink?" He rolled his eyes. "A minty-mocha, cappuccino. . . mess?" he teased.

Yugi snorted into his melting whipped cream. His wings twitched under his silk shirt, "It's a tall double espresso shot with chocolate chip minty-mocha. . . " the incubus took a breath and gave Yami an irritated look, "Frappachino. Damn it, it's just a coffee. "

Yami wagged a tan finger at Yugi; he gestured at Yugi's girly drink then directed his gaze at his own cup, "_That _is not a coffee;_ This_ is a coffee. "

He scrunched up his nose, "And if you have to inhale twice to say a name, it's too long.

Yugi pouted, "But that doesn't change the fact that it tastes better. "

"Well obviously yours tastes better," Yami smirked, "It's basically candy in liquid form. " He swiped Yugi's cup before the incubus could object and took a tentative sip, "Ugh. . . I felt all my teeth rot at the same time. I'm going to need new fillings."

"Well tough," Yugi pouted, snatching back his drink and taking a greedy sip, "I like weird things. . . " He looked up at Yami meaningfully.

The human felt the heat rise to the surface at Yugi's flippant comment and he struggled to keep the raging fire underneath his skin and off his face.

"Well then" Yami pulled off the top of his lid again and took a small sip. The black coffee burned at his throat and chased the lustful fire back down into his belly, "We have something in common don't we, Little One?"

Yugi's pale cheeks flushed, yet Yami couldn't be sure if his words or nick name had caused the easy reaction. He decided not to think about it and just smiled – enjoying the time spent with the incubus. Yugi smiled up at Yami and the human was heartened to find he looked as though he was enjoying himself too.

Before Yugi could think of a retort for their playful banter, his phone rang filling the quiet café. Yugi quickly excused himself before Yami could mention the change in Yugi's ring tone. Did Yugi get a new phone? Now that Yami was looking at it, the phone appeared to be a different color than the last one.

Seto's smooth voice echoed from the phones speaker and Yugi frowned, "Why hello to you too-. . . Ah. That's right. Is it tonight? Well you should _know_. See? There's enough time," He nodded his head even though the messenger of death couldn't see the action.

"Yeah. Okay. But will it be okay if I tell-" he paused, "Why not?" He shot the phone a glare, "It's not _'Ridiculous'_!" He glanced over his shoulder "secretively" at Yami.

The human frowned as his intuition flared.

_Is this conversation about me? _ He thought to himself.

Suddenly a lot more interested in the conversation, Yami sat on the edge of his seat; ignoring the discomfort this action caused his rear. He closed his eyes and tilted his head in Yugi's direction. He could hear faint snatches of the conversation. It was growing increasingly more heated as Yugi and Seto argued.

From what Yami could catch, Seto was trying to reason with Yugi.

"_He's. . . Ushio. . . don't tell. . . do you. . . frighten Yami?!"_

"No! Of course not!" Yugi argued, "But I doubt he'll go into cardiac arrest! He'd want to know! You know what would _really_ freak him out. . . "

Yami could hear Seto clearly now, he guessed the messenger of death had lost his temper. He was yelling, obviously feeling as if Yugi was being far too headstrong for his own good.

"'_Freak him out,' as if coming _here_ didn't freak him out enough! There's a blasted. . . "_ Seto paused, as if knowing Yami could overhear the conversation,_ "The stress just MIGHT send him over the edge! He is only human, a fact you seem to so easily forget!" _

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Just because _you_ are anal retentive and you need everything "Stress-Free" doesn't mean he'll pop when we mention this tiny. . . little. . . "

"_THIS PROBLEM IS NEITHER 'tiny' NOR 'little'"_ The reaper yelled, _"You are putting too much faith in this human! Do you want him to get killed because of your choice? Because I CAN'T bring him back to life if he dies!"_

"No," Yugi winced, the color draining from his face. Yami had to strain to catch the next part.

"_. . . Stubborn. . . probably fight himself. . . "_

The incubus nodded weakly, hanging stubbornly onto his argument, "He deserves to know. . . "

"_If we can. . . this off without. . . noticing. . . be great. If we can't. . . be alerted. "_

Yugi quickly shushed his cousin, finally noticing Yami listening intently on the conversation, "I'm going to have to call you back Seto. . . Yeah, okay. Zipped lips, got it. " He flipped the phone closed and shoved it back in his pocket. The incubus returned to his seat, smiling awkwardly at the human.

The tense atmosphere returned in a crashing wave and Yami narrowed his eyes unsympathetically.

"What was the conversation about?" he demanded. His coffee felt like it was burning through to his hands because of the amount of pressure Yami applied to the cheap cup.

Yugi averted his gaze, "It wasn't about you. " He attempted to hold up his weak charade. Yami almost pitied the facade.

Almost.

He let go of his cup, certain that steaming coffee spilling over his hands would do nothing to improve his rapidly declining mood.

"Like hell it wasn't," Yami hissed, "The entire Starbucks heard the conversation that something is after a _male human_. I'm the only human around these parts for _miles_. " He gazed angrily out the window, refusing to look at the incubus.

Looking frightened for a moment, Yugi took a long gulp of his drink, "It's nothing big. . . " he said in a persuasive voice.

Yami didn't bite.

"What is it?" he asked flatly.

Yugi looked down, fiddling with the buttons on his phone while Yami waited impatiently, "Earlier today. . . I found out. . . " he took a deep breath, almost spitting out the rest of the sentence, "ThatUshiohasahitoutonyou. " Yami blinked owlishly then narrowed them.

"Did I just hear you say 'Ushio has a hit on me?" He chuckled without humor, "Because that's what it sounded like to me."

Yugi nodded weakly.

"Ah," Yami mouthed.

They sat in silence for a split second before Yami held his hand out in front of Yugi's face, "Give me your keys to the car."

Yugi wordlessly handed them over, unwilling to argue with the angry human. By the time Yugi had stood up and pushed in his chair, Yami was halfway out the door. The incubus hastened to follow, not sure if Yami would do anything dangerous when he was this angry.

The human climbed into the drivers' seat and buckled in. Yugi didn't question Yami's motives but slid into the passenger seat and buckled in too. He watched as Yami turned the keys in the ignition and fired the car up.

"How fast can it go?" Yami asked the incubus icily. Yugi started at hearing the teenagers' frigid voice.

"I-I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I've never tried. . . "

Yami smirked before throwing the car in reverse,

"Well we're about to find out. "

--::--

Yugi sat on his parked car, watching Yami look for a restroom.

They were at Cantrell-Swift Park, and it was around seven. Yami had been driving for about two hours – only stopping when he had to pee. The human had been ruthless with Yugi's poor vehicle. In all honesty, it was the first time Yugi had ever feared for his demonic life.

The human emerged from the public restroom shaking water from his hands, there were obviously no paper towels in the stall since Yugi could see water droplets catching the soft orange glow of the evening sky.

Yugi couldn't help but smile fondly at the human. Yami seemed so perfect, even while he cursed softly and shook the water from his hands. The unusual crimson eyes that peeked out from behind a curtain of golden bangs gazed over at Yugi warmly. The incubus was wondering how those beautiful eyes would look when the sun set. Yami beckoned Yugi forward.

The incubus slid off the car, following the human to a rope jungle gym. Only once they were both comfortably trapped in a cocoon of ropes did Yami speak. And when he did, it was with quiet and contained voice it was almost as if he was trying very hard to control his emotions from getting out of hand.

"Why weren't you going to tell me?"

Yugi sighed. He had expected this question; he already had a response that he picked apart and imagined with different scenarios. None of scenes had seemed even remotely appealing, and they usually involved Yami hijacking Yugi's car and leaving the incubus to fly home on his own.

"I thought you could handle it," he muttered, staring at the deepening sky resolutely. Yugi refused to look at Yami –lest he be hypnotized by the human's ruby eyes, "And besides – we all thought it would freak you out if you knew."

Yami snorted, "As if some demons showing up in the middle of the night to kill me and my foster parents wouldn't freak me out. . . " He raised an eyebrow, "I couldn't take on psycho demons" He almost laughed, "But I would have liked a warning."

Yugi winced and struggled to sit up, simply rolling over closer to the teenager, "I _know_ you can take on 'psycho demons'" He said softly. Yami just snorted in disbelief.

"And what do _you_ know about the way I fight?" The human demanded, turning in the ropes just enough to face the demon.

Yugi remained quiet for a long moment. He turned in the mass of ropes to gaze at Yami – who met it intently. Yugi rested his hand on Yami's scarred knuckles. His left hand, from when he fought the slime-beasts. Yami watched, amazed as Yugi shyly intertwined their fingers. The incubus blushed softly.

"I know you saved me. . . " he whispered, his thumb traced soothing circles on Yami's scars, "And you got this injury because you tried to help me. . . "

Yami closed his eyes and held his breathe as Yugi's words registered to him. He remembered that day.

"It was you. . . " he said, gazing at Yugi as though he had never seen him before, "I had a feeling it might be. I remembered your eyes, but – Why didn't you say anything to me?"

"How was I supposed to bring it up?" Yugi demanded softly. His nosed skimmed gently against Yami's. They looked at one another, highly aware of how close they were to each other. Neither moved away.

"I don't know," Yami replied. He found himself enraptured by Yugi – compelling him to close the distance between them and claim Yugi's porcelain lips with his own, "You're smart. . . Figure it out. "

The incubus laughed quietly. He kept their hands twined, their bodies melting together. They fitted so well with one another. It seemed almost wrong to tear the two apart.

"You think so?" Amethyst eyes glittered with the setting sun, "And weren't you mad at me?"

"Mmhm," Yami murmured. He just wanted to feel Yugi's breath ghost over his face again, "Yeah. . . but then you went ahead and distracted me. . . I don't care about thatsilly hit anymore."

Yugi nuzzled against the human's side, blinking innocently at Yami, "And what _do_ you care about? If not for your life and family, then what?"

Yami pierced Yugi with his gaze and used his free hand to stroke the soft skin of the demon's cheek. Yugi's eyelids fluttered at the human's feather soft touch, a soft hungry groan escaped his lips.

"I'll leave that to your imagination" Yami's voice dropped to a husky whisper. His lips hovered a hairsbreadth from Yugi's, his eyes remaining locked with the incubi's expectant gaze.

Yami wanted to badly to ravish Yugi against the ropes of the playground. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest with need. The human was frightened by the unfamiliar emotions coursing through his testosterone fueled body.

Yami had never been in love before – he wasn't sure he even believed such a ludicrous concept existed. He had felt familiar lust before and he was alarmed when he felt the radical difference between what he was familiar with, and what he was experiencing now. He was frightened that Yugi might not return the same feelings that the human harbored.

The Incubus lived off sex and lust – how could the human know their emotions were equally matched unless he peed into the wind? Did he want to risk it?

The answer was immediate. Yes he did want to risk it.

Yugi was sweet, caring, loyal, and fiercely protective of his friends. . . and everything Yami was not. If there was anyone to take a risk on, Yugi was that person. If he only wanted Yami for his body. . . well the human could live with that. Yugi deserved so much _more_ than what he got out of life currently. Yugi did not need Yami and the baggage the human carried.

The mortal could hardly imagine a world where Yugi did not exist. _How did I live for so long without knowing him? _He was certain no happiness could last without the incubus there to share it with. Yami wanted to freeze this moment forever, lock it in his heart and cherish it until the end of eternity.

Yami took one look at Yugi and his doubts vanished.

The demon's amethyst eyes were devoid of lust – looking at Yami with a mixture of emotions in his clear violet pools.

_He's so damn beautiful. . . _

Yami knew then that he was going to hell; he was about to commit a crime so heinous – not even Jesus, Mary, Joseph and all the other apostles could save his soul.

His free hand traced the outline of Yugi's mouth. Wordlessly, he tilted the smaller teenagers face towards his gaze a fraction of an inch. Yami could feel a shiver race through Yugi's shoulders in expectation.

The human didn't want to ruin the moment with words – looking in the Incubi's eyes for any sign of discomfort. There was none. Yami could clearly see his desire reflected in the other's eyes. They wanted the same thing.

They wanted each other.

Yami brushed his lips against Yugi's – breath hitching in his throat. A burning sensation spilt through his body, raising a deep yearning for more contact between the incubus and himself.

Yugi was stunned. Never before in his two life times had he ever experienced a kiss like the one he had now. Their lips had barely touched, but in that gentle moment alone, he felt more passionate about life than all of his old flings combined. The way Yami looked at him made Yugi feel as though he was the most beautiful person on the planet, loved and appreciated. The human's touch sent fire through his veins, and for once it hadn't been affiliated with his demonic instincts and urges.

He wanted to be touched and kissed by the mortal again and again – just him alone. The small contact of their lips brushing together made him feel so complete.

So pure and untouched.

Yugi hungrily captured Yami's lips in an insistent kiss, eager to deepen it and feel more of the other. He was pleased to feel the human's arms wrap around his waist, molding their bodies together through the tangle of the ropes. Yugi managed to sit upright while Yami braced them both.

Their lips moved against each other. Yami ran his tongue over Yugi's lips, silently begging for entrance. The incubus smiled, complying with the demand. Yami took advantage of the situation, lightly coaxing Yugi's tongue into action with his own.

Yami kept one hand firmly on the ropes, his other safely keeping Yugi against his body. The incubi's hands stroked Yami's face, ran through his hair, dancing feather light across his body. The human shivered.

They battled for dominance, Yami coming out as the victor. He won the right to explore the different curves and dips of Yugi's mouth and the incubus let that inexperienced mouth ravage him. The incubus purred with delight, hooking his fingers in Yami's belt loops and leaning closer.

Their need for air forced them apart, both panting heavily and staring into each other's eyes. The enormity of what they had just done struck them like lightning.

The act they committed was wrong in more ways than one. Affairs between humans and demons were strictly prohibited – especially between and incubus and a human.

They both knew what they did was wrong, but the two teenagers still didn't pull away from each other. Yugi buried his hand in Yami's thick multi-colored hair, panting lightly.

"What have you done to me?" he whispered, lips brushing against Yami's as he spoke.

The human chuckled, his rich voice carrying the sound in the silent playground – Yugi couldn't help but notice how regal Yami was. The strong set of his shoulders, his kind smile, and the determined fire that burned behind his eyes was kinglike. Almost as if he was truly nobility, "I was about to ask you the same thing."

He flashed Yugi a quick smile, showing white rows of straight teeth. But the grin vanished almost as soon as it appeared, giving way to a much more somber expression – one commonly found on the orphan's face, "Now what?"

Yugi smiled. He felt more alive than he has when he was a human. Yami's eyes began to purple under the darkening sky.

"Will you watch the pollution sunset with me?" The incubus asked shyly, "It seems like a good place to start."

Yami smirked and pulled Yugi to his chest, marveling once again how well they fitted together.

"Of course, after all you have the car keys," He teased.

Yugi pinched the human's wrist before snuggling closer to Yami's chest, happily leeching warmth and body heat from the human. Yugi planted a soft kiss on the jagged scars on Yami's hand.

As the sun set, the human and demon cuddled under the darkening sky.

--::--

_**There! They finally kissed! I hope each and every one of you are happy!**_

_**Long. Very. Long. Chapter. **_

_**Reviews are loved forever. **_


	15. A Day Off

_**So yeah. This chapter sucked the life out of me with its exposition and filler BS. Sorry it took so long to get it out. I've been in a bit of a funk, so here is the shortest chapter of Teratos ever. You've all been so patient, and I know this chapter isn't nearly long enough for my standards. But alas, here it is. The next one will be longer. I swear!**_

--::--

_A ruby eye opened slowly, staring listlessly off into space. The bodies of his clan laid scattered around him like rag dolls, empty eyes lifted to the sky in a silent cry for help. Yami made no move to help the still bodies. They were long since dead._

_Why would he help them anyway?_

_He was the one who killed them all._

_A smile curved over his lips and Yami looked down at his body. _

_Warm sticky fluid covered his hands, shirt, and pants. The blood covered Yami like a new set of clothes that was tailored exactly to his size. _

"_Yami," a voice rasped._

_The human turned idly, looking back at the one who called his name. Ruby eyes flicked over the crumpled body of Yugi. Long vertical cuts streamed from his arms, the skin around his wrists utterly shredded. The incubus reached out with shaking hands towards Yami, "What have you done to us...?"_

_Yami smiled as he watched tears well up in the demon's eyes and spill down his cheeks. The incubus, bleeding and broken was so beautiful. He was like a fallen angel, his wings stained with blood. Yami liked the sight._

_Slowly, Yami crouched down in front of Yugi and cradled the incubi's angelic face in his hands, moving with surprising gentleness._

"_I killed you." _

--::--

Yami mumbled as he woke up in a daze. The sunlight streaming into his room burned at his sensitive ruby eyes. He frowned as he glared at the offending open window and stared at it quizically.

Wait... hadn't he closed the curtains before he went to bed?

"Sounds like you were having one hell of a dream," An interested voice purred from the door.

Yami shot up with a yelp and alertness shot through his body, frantic eyes landing on a familiar form sitting by the door.

"Yugi!" Yami spluttered as he eyed the obliviously intrigued incubus, "What're you doing here?" He demanded.

The incubus arched one elegant eyebrow at the human's behavior and crossed his arms over his chest, as if saying Yami had better start gathering his senses, "I stayed the night, remember?"

"Oh...?" Yami cleared his throat awkwardly. A flush crept up his cheeks as the events from the previous night caught up to him, "Oh!"

Yugi smiled at Yami's reaction, "Oh." He affirmed.

Yami watched as the incubus walked over to join him on the bed. Yami couldn't help but notice he was wearing the same clothes from yesterday. To his knowledge, the incubus did't need to sleep if he was feeling alright and Yugi had still been awake when Yami had passed out on the floor close to four am.  
Yugi had apparently deposited him fully clothed in his bed. No wonder he felt so itchy. Apparently Yugi wasn't paying attention to Yami's disheveled state. "You were having a nightmare," He murmured in concern.

Startled, Yami looked over at the incubus sharply, his mind reeling, "I was?" He frowned, unable to recall his dream. Flashes of the dream were already escaping Yami's mind. He could only remember that he had been afraid.

Very afraid.

"Yes, it looked bad," Yugi leaned in close, gently tugging on a blond lock of Yami's bangs, "Are you alright?"

Purple eyes were searching out crimson and a small smile tugged at Yami's lips, "I'm fine Yugi." he said softly, "I have nightmares often, I can never remember them though."

Seeing how this seemed to distress Yugi further, Yami quickly decided to change the subject, "Don't we have school today?"

"No, we have a long weekend," Yugi replied easily enough, giving Yami a calculating look. It was obvious that Yami was attempting to dodge around the questions and distract Yugi from his original question, so the incubus took the bait. "Four day weekened. The clan should be coming by in a while to check up on us soon--"

A very loud crash followed by a howl echoed through the house and Yugi groaned.

"Allow me to rephrase that," The incubus rubbed his temples, "They're here now."

Yami frowned as he swung his legs out of bed and stood up, noticing how Yugi rose with him, "Why?" He asked grouchily as another crash sounded out, "They're going to destroy the place."

"It's unlikely they're going to risk invoking Shadi's fury, not if they want to keep their netherreigons in tact," Yugi shuffled his feet slightly and blushed, "And... ah, Seto wants to talk with you."

"About?" Came Yami's suspicious response.

Yugi smiled reassuringly and settled his hands on Yami's cheek to gently pull the human down into a chaste kiss, "What do you think?" He purred softly.

Yami's face lost a few shades of tan.

"The whole clan knows about us already?" Yami asked, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. Yugi gave him a worried look.

"Yes," The incubus said hesitantly and pulled away from the other long enough to look worriedly into Yami's eyes. "Is that a problem?"

Yami felt something knot in his chest at the sight of Yugi's concern and fear. He reached out and gently looped his arm around the incubi's waist. "No it's not," Yami muttered, smirking slightly to reassure his... boyfriend?, "I'm just not used to sharing my private life with a bunch of nosey demons."

"It's the hazards of running with a clan," Yugi smiled at Yami, a soft sigh of pleasure escaping him at the feel of Yami's hard body brushing against his, "We're a tightly knitted group."

"Sounds more like a gang to me," Yami smirked and leaned down to close the distance between their mouths. He brushed his lips against Yugi's supple mouth, savoring the sweet and sensual feel of those silky lips sliding against his.

Yugi let out a strange noise. A mixture between a growl, a purr, and a sigh.

A grurrigh?

However, the incubus remained absolutely still, not coming any closer to Yami despite the human's encouraging movements. It was clear Yugi was being careful of touching Yami. After all, he could snap Yami like a twig if he wasn't careful.

Yami had his hands settled gently at Yugi's hips, digging his thumbs gingerly into the tender skin of the incubi's thighs. One of Yugi's hands jerked up to Yami's shoulder and a sharp gasp escaped his mouth.

"Y-Yami..." He let out a small groan as Yami's hands continued to explore Yugi's body. The human's ruby eyes were gleaming wickedly at Yugi's reaction and he continued to drift tanned fingers across Yugi's hips, playing with the hem of his shirt.

Yami was curious to see how far Yugi would allow him to go. How much he could touch. How much he was permitted to explore.

He was enjoying the way Yugi's skin trembled under his hands, or how those violet were beginning to darken with desire.

He didn't want to move too quickly. As bold as he was acting now, the idea of going that far with Yugi so quickly was a bit frightening. He was still a virgin, and as gruff and as rough around the edges as he was, Yami didn't want his first time to be a loveless experience.

Luckily, or unluckily, Yami didn't have any more time to consider it, as a moment later the sound of something rather large shattering and a chorus of groans forced both Yami and Yugi apart.

"What was that?" Yami asked deadpanned as he pulled away from the incubus with a soft groan.

Yugi shifted slightly to hide his disappointment and glared at the door, "It sounds like that was the TV."

Yami swore and straightened his crumpled clothes and strode towards the door, looking rather murderous, "If Shadi doesn't kill them, I will. They can haze me from beyond their graves!"

Yugi let out a bark of laughter as he followed his boyfriend, grinning from ear to ear.

Things had changed in their relationship. Little by little and bit by bit, but for the better. Yugi smiled as he watched a snarling Yami promptly get dog piled by a group of rowdy demons, chuckling softly with amusement. It was nice that even though small changes were occurring around them, some things would always stay the same.

With a happy laugh, Yugi pounced on the top of the pile, wanting to join in on the fun.

--::--

The weekend had passed by in a blur of interrogations, death threats, and general good natured hazing.

It was late on one Tuesday morning and Yami was terribly surprised to find out he was beginning to get the hang of this 'magic' lifestyle. There was absolutely nothing supernatural about Yami, except for perhaps his ability to get along with demons. It was odd considering Yami rarely got along with his own species, who knew mythical creatures could be the exceptions?

He, Bakura and Joey were walking towards the courtyard, ready to meet up with the rest of the clan before the start of classes. Yami was wrapped up in his thoughts, so he didn't notice Joey stopping in the middle of the hallway until the human crashed headlong into him.

"I need you to jump Seto for me."

At those words, Yami twisted around and stared at Joey with incredulous rage.

He took it all back.

Demons sucked.

And they were stupid.

How the blond could even suggest for Yami to do something that dangerous was a mystery to the human. As was the wolf's ability to make the request with a straight face. Did he _want_ Yami to meet an early death?

"Tell me," The human demanded in a growl. "Is your head up your ass for the _warmth_?"

Bakura snorted with laughter and leaned against the werewolf's shoulder. "I don't see what else it would be up there for. Unless it was to re-digest half the shit he ate earlier for breakfast."

Joey glared and shoved Bakura off his arm. "That was _**one**_ time! And it was a dare!"

"Once is all that it takes for an eternity of torment. You're lucky you have the digestive system of a dog." Bakura reminded him with a malicious smirk.

He moved ahead of the group and made faces at the freshmen. They scattered under his upper classman might and he let out a bark of laughter. While Yami was distracted and mildly intrigued by the sight of Bakura sending supposedly dangerous demons running for their lives, Joey grabbed a hold of the human's arm and dragged him into an abandoned janitor's closet.

"Mighty forward aren't you Joe? And you haven't even bought me dinner yet." Yami said flatly once he realized where he was. "I'll have you know I won't pay for the check."

"Shut up!" Joey whapped Yami on the side of the head, being as gentle as he could but hard enough to leave a bruise. Yami yelped in pain and shot the werewolf a murderous glare. "I need your help – preferably _without_ the smart ass comments if you can manage it!"

"And why should I help you _now_?!" Yami grumbled and rubbed the abused spot on his head. He winced as his fingers brushed against the tender spot. Joey looked apologetic enough, so Yami crossed his arms over his chest and seethed quietly, "Pushy mutt."

"You'll help me because you are instrumental in my plot to remove the stick shoved up Seto's ass!" Joey's eyes glinted with determination and a wicked smirk crossed his face. Yami felt like taking a cautious step away from the werewolf, but he was unable due to the close quarters of the closet they were crammed in. The human cursed, realizing this was most likely Joey's plan from the beginning. To trap Yami – the clever bastard.

"At the cost of my life?" Yami snapped. "No thank you. Despite what my track-record says, I _don't_ have a death wish."

"Please Yami!" Joey fell to his knees and hugged Yami's legs desperately. Or at least he attempted to. What he ended up doing was getting a face-full of Yami's crotch as his arms wrapped around the human's hips. Joey immediately pulled away as though his hair had been set on fire, while both parties were left feeling quite violated.

"Let's pretend that never happened," Yami muttered. He had an expression mixed from shock and horror on his face. Joey's appearance mirrored his, and the werewolf mutely nodded his agreement. The demon quickly pulled himself together and took advantage of his friend's momentary shock. He had hoped to avoid using his secret weapon... but Yami had left him no choice in the matter.

"C'mon Yami, please?" Joey turned the full force of his puppy eyes on Yami. The hardened human faltered under the stare and narrowed his eyes.

"Joey..." He said warningly. "That's playing dirty..."

Indeed it was. Which was precisely the reason why Joey was going through the effort to unleash the terrifying power on Yami. No one could resist a werewolf's puppy eyes. Not even Seto, who was one of the coldest and sternest people alive... er... dead. Yami didn't stand a chance.

Although that didn't stop the human from trying to resist; Joey had to admit that the human had guts. Ruby eyes darted everywhere around the closet except for the werewolf. Yet inevitable it was useless to avoid staring at Joey forever.

"Alright! Fine!" Yami roared, "Just _enough_ with the eyes! Enough I say!"

"Yes!" Joey cheered and punched the air, "You won't regret this Yami!" He swiftly picked the small human up much to Yami's dismay and swung him around. This resulted in Yami getting bruises on both of his shins as they were in cramped closet.

Bakura chose that moment to poke his head into the closet, giving both of his clansmen a dry look when they both froze. One white eyebrow disappeared slowly behind a fringe of white bangs and the Chimera gave them a strange look, "Do I want to know the reason why you two are hugging?"

"Not really, but it would be great if you could get Joey to heel," Yami wheezed looking blue in the face from asphyxiation and red from embarrassment which consequentially turned him a lovely shade of purple, "Joe. Down boy."

The Werewolf sheepishly released Yami and thumped him on the back, "Sorry about that bud. You're a pal."

"Yeah whatever," Yami growled as he rubbed his throat, eyeing Joey with a vague sort of irritation, "Just remember that after this I own your ass."

"Actually," Joey corrected, "Seto owns my ass, and in return I own _his_ ass."

Yami made a face at that, to which Bakura let out another bark of mad laughter.

Bakura smirked and eyed his two clansmen, "If you two seem to forget that I caught you both in a compromising position. That means I own both of your asses." He looked thoughtful, "And I suppose that means I own Seto's ass indirectly as well."

Yami looked rather sick and he pushed by Bakura, giving the chimera a dirty look, "I think that's enough talk about asses for today, thank you very much." He sighed, "I need to go find Seto and put an end to my life as I know it."

With that, the cranky human parted ways from his smug looking clansmen, wondering if his odd sense of luck could hold out for a few more hours.

--::--

Seto's touch meant death. Not only to humans, but demons alike. Oh, there was the occasional thick skinned troll he couldn't get his hands on – but there were very few he didn't affect.

Because of his unusual abilities, most people edged away from the messenger of death. Needless to say, his life got a bit lonely. But he seemed to prefer it that way, regardless of its draw backs.

Joey was the only one who never cringed from his touch. In fact, Seto was surprised the werewolf wasn't even affected by his contact. His lover welcomed his cold grazing fingers with a wide smile, embracing death itself in a way no mortal or immortal could.

Joey made Seto realize how starved he was for human contact.

Throughout his human life, no one other than Yugi and his brother had gotten close enough to reach out to him. But even then, he subconsciously shied away. Maybe that was the reason why he became a Reaper of Death.

The only skin he felt now-a-days were that belonging to the frozen bodies he lead away from the mortal realm – to spend eternity in heaven, or hell.

It was unusual for Seto to feel warm skin. Cradling Joey's unusually hot hand against his cool face was a guilty pleasure he held close to his unmoving heart.

Seto wasn't used to being touched unflinchingly. As far as he knew – the werewolf was the only person truly alive to do so unwaveringly.

...

...So when Yami marched up to the messenger of death as he was closing his locker, Seto barely had a chance to glimpse fiery red eyes before the human did the unthinkable.

Seto's head snapped back from the surprising amount of force Yami used behind the unexpected punch. The grim reaper didn't have time to wonder how Yami was able to punch him, since Seto was extraordinarily tall and the human was very much not.

Of course the human was gloved to protect him from getting half his life sucked out of him, but that didn't stop Seto from reeling backwards from the shock alone.

"Ha! I finally got you! Bastard!" Yami cheered, pointing at Seto openly in the middle of the busy hallway. Several Teratos students paused to stare, but at the look of cold fury building on Seto's face – replacing the shock caused by Yami; the students quickly minded their own business and scampered off to class. Yami realized just how much trouble he was in by the student's sudden departure, yet still smirked widely just the same.

"Tag! You're it!"

And Yami proceeded to get the heck out of dodge.

Later, Joey would grin and ask the grim reaper just what happened to his face – He already knew of course, after all it happened during school, and even the lunch ladies knew by second period, but that didn't stop him from taking an odd sort of glee in his mate's embarrassment. That would show Seto not to walk around like the grouchy bastard he was all the time.

Seto simply winced and pulled the squirming werewolf on his lap. He poked Joey between his ribs and smile at the annoyed yelp that elicited.

"Tag" He chuckled, "You're it." Seto smirked and shoved Joey off of him before sprinting out of the room, leaving one very confused werewolf in his wake.

Joey gaped at the sudden childish display Seto put on and grinned broadly before taking off after his mate. That was more like it!

Deciding he owed the human one for invoking the more impish and competitive side of Seto, Joey tore off through the hallways in search of either his mate or one of his clansmen so this game could continue. One way or another, someone's ass was going to get tagged.

Thus, a school wide game of 'Tag' started. It was epic and would be renown throughout all time as the single most destructive event to happen to Teratos High since the Great War itself.

Yami would spend the majority of the school day hidden in a janitor's closet with Yugi, enjoying the day to its _fullest_.

--::--

_**God this chapter sucked. But there you go.**_

_**Reviews are loved! Feed my guilty conscious so it doesn't take me another three months to find the will to update! ._. **_


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